Sinful Desires
by Leighjj256
Summary: Sometimes the line between right and wrong is very blurry. AH, AU, OOC. Lemons
1. Chapter 1

My God, was it freaking hot outside. Even in the shade. I was standing under the awning at my favorite beer and wing spot, watching as traffic went by. I was so engrossed in my thoughts that I didn't see the bike messenger coming at me on the busy sidewalk. I jumped out of his path at the last minute.

"Sorry!" I yelled after him as he whizzed down the street.

"No problem!" He called back.

Everyone always seemed friendlier on Friday evening. Just knowing the next day was work free made people so much lighter. I felt my cell phone buzz in my purse and I fished it out. I had a text message.

_**Sorry, Babe. Stuck at work again. U and Edward have fun without me- Emmett**_

**_On a Friday night, Em? – Izzy_**

**_I know. This project is taking up all of my time. I'll make it up to you. I promise. – Emmett_**

I sighed in frustration. I couldn't fault him for being so goal oriented and driven. But sometimes, it sure got lonely. I hadn't seen him in a week.

"Hey, Izzy!" I heard. I looked across the street and saw Edward waving. He crossed in the middle of the block, weaving through the evening rush hour traffic.

"Where's my brother?" He asked as he hugged me. I rolled my eyes.

"Still at work?" He asked. I nodded. This was the second week in a row he had blown off our Friday night dinner plans. We all worked pretty close to one another and a few months ago had gotten in the habit of having beer and wings every Friday night after work.

"If you want to just go home, I understand..." Edward said. I stopped him.

"No. I have had a gruesome week and I need some beer and some two alarm wings. And maybe some beer battered onion rings."

"Fuck yeah. Come on." He said. He pulled me toward the entrance and we both stepped out of the August heat and into the cool air of the restaurant.

"It feels so good in here." I remarked as we walked up to the hostess stand.

"Yeah, this heat wave is brutal. What has it been, twelve days of above ninety degree weather?" Edward said as he took off his aviator sunglasses.

"Something like that." I agreed.

"Just two today?" The hostess asked. We were pretty regular so the staff knew us well.

"Yep, just two." Edward told her.

"You are in luck. We have one small table in the corner open. Otherwise it would have been a thirty minute wait." She told us.

"See, the day is already looking brighter." Edward remarked to me with a smile. The hostess led us through the noisy restaurant to a small table in the corner. It was close to the kitchen, but I wasn't going to complain. I was starving.

"So tell me about your week? Why was it gruesome?" Edward asked. I told him about my hellish experiences dealing with the summer interns. I worked for a non-profit organization writing grants. The college juniors that I was working with were horrible writers. Grammar and punctuation meant absolutely nothing to them.

"It's not like I'm some fifty year old nun, rapping them on the knuckles with my yardstick every time I see a run on sentence. I only graduated from college six years ago- I'm not from some far removed generation. I just think writing is not for them." I told Edward.

"Sometimes people take internships based on what's available, not what they really want to do. Most people in college have no idea what they want to do." Edward said.

"That's true. Wasn't your undergrad degree in like gym or something?"

"It might as well have been," he laughed. "I have no idea why anyone let me into law school but I thank God or Zeus or whoever that they did."

"You like being an attorney?"

"I love it. I can't imagine doing anything else. Tax law might not be as exciting as being a celebrity divorce lawyer, but I enjoy it." He told me.

"Hey, guys! Where's the big guy today?" The waitress, Lauren, asked. She casually put her hand on Edward's shoulder. I chuckled to myself. I knew she had a crush on him, but he ignored her.

"Still at work. Just me and Izzy today." Edward told her.

"What can I get you?"

"Couple beers, two orders of the two alarm wings- blue cheese for her, ranch for me and an order of the beer battered onion rings."

"Cool. I'll put your order in." She said and sashayed away.

"I don't know why you won't give her a chance." I said.

"She's not my type."

"Oh because she's 'just' a waitress?"

"No, that's not it at all. She's just so…not my type."

"That explains…absolutely nothing."

"Just leave it alone, Izzy."

"What made Tanya your type?"

"She wasn't my type either. I thought she was, but I was so fucking wrong." He admitted. Tanya was this uber bitch that Edward dated for about two months. She was a big time corporate attorney who thought that her job was more important than everyone and everything else. Every time the four of us would have dinner together, she would monopolize the conversation with talk about her job and when she wasn't doing that, she was on the phone conducting business _at the dinner table_. As if we weren't even there. She constantly called me Missy, no matter how many times I corrected her.

Lauren came over with our beers and I took a long pull from mine.

"I've been waiting for that all week." I said as the cool liquid slid down my throat.

"You should have texted me. We could have gone for beer any night of the week. I would have saved you from your idiot interns."

"I'm going to hold you to that." I said, sipping my beer.

"So what project is Em working on that has him so busy?"

"A new medical records system that is going live in a couple weeks at the hospital. They are working the kinks out." I explained.

"Sounds major."

"It is. I just…" I started and then I stopped myself.

"Just what?"

"Nothing. Forget it." I gulped down the rest of my beer. Edward was a nice guy and over the few months that Emmett and I had been together, I had grown to consider him a friend, not just my boyfriend's brother. But I couldn't forget that he _was_ my boyfriend's brother. I certainly couldn't tell him about how I felt about his brother. It would put Edward in an awkward position and I didn't want that.

"Tell me about your week at work. Any new tax laws I should know about?"

"Tax laws don't change on a week to week basis. So no. Another beer?" he asked. I nodded and he signaled to Lauren, who of course had been looking over at us anyway. I had to admit, Edward was cute. I could see her infatuation. He was tall like Emmett, but leaner. His face was usually scruffy but it was attractive on him. And his eyes were a beautiful green. Deep, intelligent eyes that could draw people in. His reddish brown hair was longer on top, shorter on the sides and the back and was usually messy from him running his fingers through it.

"Here ya go, guys. Your food should be out in a few." Lauren said, dropping a couple beer bottles on the table and picking up the empties.

"Thanks, Lauren." I said.

"Sure!" she said in her chipper voice before breezing to her next table.

"Any plans for the weekend?" Edward asked.

"Alice and Rose and I are supposed to hang out tomorrow night. Alice got us tickets to a concert. Some band I never heard of."

"Sounds like it could be fun."

"What about you? Any plans?"

"I'm helping Mike move."

"He broke up with what's-her-name?"

"Of course. She's fucking psycho. She cut the arms off of all of his shirts."

"What?" I said, laughing.

"Yeah, she's a weirdo. She had some kind of crazy reasoning. Something about the arms symbolizing hugs that she never received or some shit. Mike said that was the last straw and he had to break it off."

I swigged my beer. "Hearing stories like that makes me think my relationship is not that bad." I said before my head caught up with my mouth.

"Is everything okay?" Edward said.

"Sure, sure. Just regular relationship stuff." I said dismissively, playing with my napkin.

"Izzy, you can talk to me. Whatever you say stays between us." He said sincerely, meeting my eyes.

"Edward, I don't want to burden you with my bullshit."

He rolled his eyes.

"What?" I asked.

"You always put everyone ahead of yourself. I'm here. I want to listen. It's not a burden."

"God, Edward, it's so much stuff. Emmett is a great guy but I feel like he doesn't really see _me_. Does that make sense?"

"Is it because he's working all of the time lately?"

"That's what I thought at first, but..." I paused, gathering my thoughts and trying to put them into words. "I just feel like he only cares about what I can do for him, encouraging him and listening to him talk about his problems and his work and his friends. It feels so one-sided sometimes. But he is a really good person. He's smart and talented and goal oriented. He is committed to our relationship. I sound like such a needy bitch, don't I?"

"Have you told him how you feel?"

"Whenever I try to tell him, he changes the subject back to himself."

"Yeah, my brother is pretty self-absorbed." He said, tilting his beer back and drinking.

I looked at him in shock.

"I don't know why you look so surprised. I've known him for thirty years. You've asked me more questions about my life and my friends and my job in the short time that I've known you than he ever has. But I know that's how he is. I don't expect anything else."

"So I should just overlook it like you do? Right?"

"Izzy, I can't tell you what to do. But you have to stop putting everyone else's feelings ahead of your own."

"Isn't that kind of telling me what to do?"

He rolled his eyes again and we both laughed. Lauren came over then with our order.

"Two orders of wings, one with ranch dip and one with blue cheese dip and one order of onion rings. Anything else I can get for you guys?"

"Two more beers?" Edward asked.

"Be right back!" she smiled.

We dug into our food, chatting easily about baseball and music and anything else that crossed our minds. I noticed that when Edward laughed, his eyes crinkled at the corners, and when he was talking about something serious, he rubbed his chin.

"Can I ask you a question?" I said when there was a lull in the conversation.

"Of course." He said, sipping on a glass of bourbon. He had traded beer for something a bit stronger.

"It's super super personal…"

"Okay…"

"So when you are with a girl, you know…" I looked around the room to see if anyone was listening, but no one seemed to be paying us attention. "sexually."

"Uh huh." He prompted.

"Do you just go for yours or do you try to make it good for her, too?"

"I try to make it good for her. We're having sex with each other. I'm not masturbating using her vagina."

"So the girls you were with were able to…you know…"

"Able to what, Izzy?" he teased.

"You know…"

"Orgasm? Look at you blushing."

"Yeah."

"Sure. Wait…you and Emmett…you can't…?"

"I guess it's just me. He said with all his other girlfriends, he didn't have to do much and they were able to… and I've never…" I admitted, looking down at my plate.

"You've _never_ had an orgasm?" he asked incredulously. I shook my head.

"Not even alone?"

"Now you sound like Rose. No."

"Have you tried?"

"Yeah, I have. Maybe I'm just too uptight like Emmett said."

"He said that to you?" Edward asked, his face suddenly tense.

"Yeah. More than once, so it must be true, right?"

"Izzy…" he said, sighing. "You're not uptight. You probably just need someone to take their time with you."

"Alice bought me a vibrator. Hot pink, of course."

"Did you try it?"

"No."

"You should try it. Look at you blushing again. You're so cute."

"Shut up."

"You should go home right now, get into your bed with that vibrator and have a great night experimenting with what you like."

"Experimenting?" I asked, completely baffled.

"You know, whether you like a lot of pressure or just a little bit of pressure. Fast, slow. That kind of thing. You need to know what you like and what you need in order to orgasm. I can't believe you've never googled this stuff."

"I'm going to google it now." I said and pulled out my cell phone. It was almost nine and no text or calls from Emmett. Big surprise. I searched how to orgasm and clicked on the first link.

"Izzy, you are bright red right now." Edward said, chuckling. "Put the phone down."

"It says that a woman's feet need to be warm for her to orgasm?" I told him as I read the screen. I guess there was more to this orgasming thing than I realized.

"How about this? How about we go to your apartment, you get under the covers with your toy and I'll sit on the chair next to your bed and instruct you on what to do."

"What? What the...? Hell, no. You're Emmett's brother. I can't…I can't…" I said. But even as I was saying that I couldn't, I knew that I wanted to. And that scared me.

"Okay, okay. It was just a suggestion." he said, putting his hand up and stopping my panic. "Do you have any room for ice cream? Want to walk to the ice cream place around the corner?"

"Sure." I said. Edward paid the check, ignoring my protests, and we walked out into the night air. It was still sticky and the street was bustling with evening activity, the sidewalks still crowded with groups of laughing teenagers and young adults. We walked in silence for a while, each deep in our own thoughts.

"Edward, if we tried what you suggested, no one could ever know. _Ever_." I said suddenly, breaking the silence and turning to face him on the sidewalk.

"Izzy, I swear I would go to my grave with that secret. It's not like it would make me look good. I would come off kind of creepy."

"Yeah, but I would come off kind of pathetic. Not to mention, you're Emmett's brother."

"It will just be between us. We can catch a cab right now, or we could do it another day…"

"Let's catch a cab." I said immediately. I wanted to do it before I lost my nerve. I needed this.


	2. Chapter 2

Edward hailed a cab and in a few minutes we were sliding into the backseat of a taxi, ice cream completely forgotten. I gave the driver my address and I leaned back against the seat. I was shaking, from nerves, or maybe from anticipation. Edward put his arm around my shoulder.

"Relax. If it's too awkward we'll just stop." He whispered.

"Will it be weird between us after?"

"I don't think so. We'll still be friends. I think you're an amazing person. I wouldn't be willing to just overlook that because of an orgasm."

"You think I'm amazing?"

"Yeah. You're warm and thoughtful and funny as hell. You're a talented writer and you cook a mean lasagna."

I laughed out loud and he joined me. I looked out the window and realized that we were on my street. We were really going to do this. Edward paid the taxi driver and we got out in front of my building. My heart was beating out of my chest as we walked up to the third floor. By the time we got to my door, I was shaking so bad I could barely get the key in the lock. Edward covered my hand with his.

"Honey, relax. Just breathe." He murmured. I took a deep breath and I felt a bit better. Calmer. I unlocked the door and we walked in together. I threw my purse and workbag onto the sofa and motioned for him to do the same.

"Do you want a drink or something?" I asked him.

"No thanks."

"Okay."

We stood in my living room, staring at each other, not moving. Finally, he turned to me and put his hands on my shoulders.

"Izzy, I want you to go into your bedroom, take off your clothes and get under your covers with your toy. Yell out to me when you are ready for me to come in. Okay?"

I nodded and went back to my bedroom. I took off my shoes and threw them into my closet before I peeled off my summer dress and cardigan. I dropped my bra and panties into the hamper and slid under my comforter, grabbing the toy from my night table and placing it under the covers with me, out of sight. I laid there and breathed in and out, in and out. I needed this. And Emmett would never know.

"I'm ready." I called.

The door opened and Edward walked in. He had been in my bedroom before, helping me with a computer issue I was having. In retrospect, it was weird that Edward was the one to help when Emmett is the one who had a degree in information technology.

Edward sat down at my desk, to the right of my queen sized bed.

"Still nervous?" he asked me.

"Very."

"Just close your eyes and get comfortable." He said in a soft voice. It was soothing. I lay back against my pillows and left my hands at my sides. I closed my eyes and waited for Edward to talk.

"Take your hands and rub them all over your skin with a light touch. Touch your arms and your stomach and your hips and thighs. Feel how smooth and soft your skin is."

I did as he said, running my fingers all over my body, from my shoulders to my belly, along my hips and down the outside of my legs. He was right, my skin was soft.

"Take your time, caressing all over. Run your fingers gently on your neck." I followed his instruction, sliding the tips of my fingers along the smooth skin of my neck and my collarbone.

"I bet you like to be kissed there. Imagine soft warm lips kissing behind your ear, down to your collarbone…"

My neck tingled as I grazed my sensitive skin.

"Now move your hands down to your breasts. Knead them gently. Now trace a circle around your nipple again and again. Now switch to the other breast. Circle your nipple with your finger. Slowly."

Any feelings of awkwardness were fading quickly. My nipples were pebbled and aching.

"Now squeeze your nipples. Gently." I did as he said and a jolt of pleasure went right from my nipple to between my legs. I gasped at the feeling.

"Imagine that someone was sucking your sensitive nipples." He said, his sexy voice pulling me in. I tweaked my nipples as I imagined a warm mouth sucking and licking. I should have been imagining Emmett, but I wasn't. I was imagining Edward's soft mouth, his stubble tickling my skin as he kissed me all over.

"Add a little pressure. I bet you like to be nibbled a bit." I moaned as I squeezed a bit more. He was right. That felt so good. I was getting wet.

"Slide your hands down your belly to your hip bones and then slowly to your inner thighs. Feel how soft you are there. I bet it's like satin." He instructed, his voice husky. I was imagining looking down at Edward's messy bronze hair as he planted soft kisses on my inner thighs, switching from the right to the left, teasing me relentlessly.

"Take your middle finger and rub it along your lips. Slowly. Don't rush it." My fingers brushed my wet lips and I gasped again. The nerve endings there were so sensitive. I stroked back and forth and back and forth, relishing the feeling.

"Are you wet, Izzy?" He asked. This idea that seemed like just a friend helping another friend when we were at the restaurant was now beginning to feel much more intimate than I thought it would.

"Yes." I whispered.

"Mmmm, good girl. Get your finger nice and wet and bring it up to your clit. Stroke gently." Oh, that felt amazing.

"Try adding a little pressure and see how it feels." He said. I did it and that felt even better.

"It feels so good." I moaned.

"Grab the vibrator." He said. My hands stopped their movement. I realized that I didn't want him all the way across the room, in my desk chair instructing me on how to touch myself. I wanted him close. I wanted his hands on me. My body was screaming for him.

"Stop, Edward." I said. I opened my eyes.

"What's wrong?" He asked, meeting my eyes.

"I want you. I want _you_."

"But…"

"Nevermind, Edward. You're right." I said, interrupting him, shaking my head.

"Damn it, Izzy! You didn't even let me finish talking. You're running the show here. I just want to make sure that you're _sure_."

"Anything that happens still stays between us, right?" I said. Both of us were fully aware that what we were discussing was positively wrong, but I don't think either of us wanted to admit it aloud.

"Absolutely."

"I'm sure."

"Pull your comforter down." He said softly, standing up. I slid my turquoise striped covers down, revealing my naked body. He groaned.

"Izzy…I don't know how far…you want this to go…so if you want me to stop…just tell me. Okay?" he said, as his eyes traveled over my body hungrily.

"Okay. Um…can you…kiss me? Is that okay?"

He crawled over my body and pecked my lips. "Of course." Our lips met over and over, tentatively. His mouth was so soft. His lips parted and he licked my bottom lip. When our tongues touched, I felt electricity all the way to my toes. I'd never felt that with Emmett, not even the first time we kissed. Edward and I both moaned into the kiss. I threaded my fingers in his hair and pulled him closer. He dragged his lips down my jaw and over to my neck under my ear, kissing and sucking lightly. Edward's mouth on me was better than I could have ever imagined.

His hands traced my curves before settling on my breasts, kneading lightly like he had instructed me to do earlier. It felt good when I did it, but when he did it, it set me on fire. He thumbs brushed across my nipples and I whimpered. He brought his face down, covering my hardened nipple with his hot mouth. His green eyes were on me, watching me, watching my reaction. He sucked with perfect pressure and my eyes rolled back. The feeling was exquisite. He switched to the other breast, flicking the nipple with his tongue and then kissing it and sucking it. He nipped lightly.

"Edward!" I cried. He chuckled.

"You like that?" He asked, nipping again. I moaned in response. One of his large hands slid down to my waist and even further down and he cupped me between my legs. I opened my eyes and he was still watching me.

"Is this okay?"

I nodded my head. He ran his middle finger through my wetness and groaned.

"So soft and wet." He whispered. He pushed his finger in, slowly, watching me.

"Oh!" I said, surprised at the pleasurable feeling. When Emmett did put his fingers inside, it hurt. But this? This was wonderful.

"Does this feel good?" he asked as he pushed in and out.

"Yes…" I said. He pushed a second finger in, adding to the feeling of fullness.

"Fuck Edward…" I moaned. My hips began moving on their own, finding a delicious rhythm.

"That's it, baby." He encouraged. His lips found mine and our tongues danced together wildly as he thrust his fingers in and out. His thumb began to circle my swollen clit.

"Ah…oh my God, oh my God…" I cried. The feelings were overwhelming and I couldn't even concentrate on kissing him anymore. My whole body felt flushed with heat and my thighs were trembling. My breathing became spastic and suddenly my back arched involuntarily. Waves of ecstasy radiated throughout my body and I shuddered, my mouth open in a silent scream as these foreign feelings overpowered my frame. I felt tears sliding down my face and Edward kissed them away. He removed his fingers and wrapped me in his arms as I came down from my orgasm. We were both quiet for a while, how long I don't know. After a while, I began to giggle.

"What's so funny?" He asked.

"So _that's_ what the fuss is all about. I _totally_ understand now."


	3. Chapter 3

"You're so silly." Edward said, shaking his head in mock exasperation. "Maybe I should go?"

"You don't have to." I said quickly.

"But I should…" He said, groaning.

"Thank you for what you did for me. It was amazing." I twisted in his arms to face him and kissed his beautiful mouth.

"It was my pleasure." He told me, kissing me back, his lips lingering.

"I think I got all the pleasure." I whispered against his lips.

"I got to kiss and lick all over your delectable body. I love your breasts. And your beautiful nipples." He breathed.

"Yeah?"

"I love everything about you. The taste of your skin, your lips…" he trailed off as I covered his lips with mine.

"Your lips are so soft." I said when I pulled back. "I love the way your beard tickles my skin."

"You were so sexy when you were coming on my fingers, baby." He whispered into my ear as he nuzzled my neck.

"Your voice is so sexy. It makes me so wet." I whispered back and Edward groaned against my neck and I felt the vibrations all over my body.

"Everything about you is making me so fucking hard right now." He moaned before he attacked my mouth. I met him kiss for kiss until we were both breathless and our chests were heaving. It wasn't about just having an orgasm anymore. It was more than that. I began to unbutton his shirt and he quickly shrugged it off. I got my first look at his bare chest. Edward was lean but he was chiseled, with defined muscles and rock hard abdominals. I placed kisses all over his torso while I unbuckled his belt and unfastened his pants. I reached inside and ran my fingers along his hardness. He was smooth and thick in his boxer briefs. I looked up and he was watching me with hooded eyes. Edward made me feel so sexy, so desired, so wanted.

He kicked out of his pants and boxers. My hands were still stroking his erection as I took in his nude body.

"Iz, do you have condoms?" He asked. I nodded and pointed at my bedside table. He reached over and pulled out a foil packet, sheathing himself quickly. He positioned himself on top of me and rested his forehead against mine.

"Baby, are you sure you want this? I don't want you to do this because you think it's what I want." Edward murmured. His eyes searched mine for the truth.

"I want you. For the first time, I know the difference and I know that this is what _I_ want."

He slid into me slowly and we both moaned when he was all the way in. God, this was incredible, indescribable. Edward lips were everywhere as our hips moved together- on my lips, on my neck, on my breasts.

"Izzy…oh fuck, baby…" He groaned. "So good…"

My hands found themselves in his hair as I bucked my hips up, tugging and pulling. He lifted my legs up and he slid in even deeper.

"Mmmm..." I moaned, my head falling back.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah."

He thrust into me, pressing into my needy flesh over and over. He quickened his pace and I felt myself climbing toward the peak of ecstasy I had experienced earlier.

"Izzy…baby…reach down and rub your pretty clit like I did earlier. I want you to come again."

I slid my hand between our damp bodies and circled my clit. Bliss.

"Edward…" I whimpered. I felt my muscles tensing and my thighs were trembling again.

"Let go, baby." He whispered and I did, shattering completely and moaning his name while gripping the sheets underneath our writhing bodies.

"Hold onto me, Izzy." Edward growled and gripped my ankles firmly.

I wrapped my shaky arms around his neck and he pounded into me, holding nothing back. His face was tight and his biceps taut while he climbed toward his own orgasm. His intensity was sexy, so different from the Edward I had come to know in the past few months.

"Fuck, baby. Fuck. Fuuuuck." He groaned with his head thrown back. His thrusts became erratic as he released and then he dropped his weight onto his elbows, spent.

He kissed me softly on the lips. "Izzy…that was…I can't even…you're the writer. What was that?"

"Amazing. Fucking amazing." I purred.


	4. Chapter 4

I awoke with a start. I could faintly hear my cell phone ringing in the living room. I looked over and saw Edward sleeping peacefully on his side, snoring lightly. Seeing him there flooded my mind with images of the previous night- every touch, every kiss, every whispered word. I jumped up, threw on my robe and slipped out of the bedroom and into the hallway being as quiet as possible. I glanced at the clock on the microwave on my way to the living room. 4:37. Who was calling me in the middle of the night? The phone stopped ringing and then immediately started again. I grabbed it out of my purse. It was Emmett. My heart started beating wildly. What if he knew? What if he was standing outside the building watching us?

"Emmett? Are you okay?" I said, trying to hide the panic in my voice.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just couldn't sleep. I needed to talk to you. I am so worried about this project. It could mean a promotion and I don't want to fuck it up."

"Well you've been working on it really hard. That's all you can do is do your best." I said, plopping down on the sofa. I was relieved that the secret was still safe, but annoyed that he was calling me in the middle of the night to talk about his job and didn't even seem concerned if he'd woken me up or not.

"You're right. That's why I've been putting in all these hours. I want to be CIO before I'm thirty five which gives me three years."

"You can do it. You're smart and innovative and you've proven it to them over the years."

"Damn right I have. Thank you for making me feel better, babe. Let's go to that Mexican place tonight. I need to de-stress."

"Em, I told you that I was going to a concert with Rose and Alice tonight. But we can do Mexican on Sunday."

"Come on, Izzy. I'm in the mood for loaded nachos."

"Alice already bought the tickets!"

"I'm sure they can get someone to take your ticket. Come on, babe," he pleaded.

"Fine, Em."

"Great! I'll meet you at your place at five, okay?"

"Okay." I said before hanging up. I tossed the phone onto my sofa.

"Everything okay, Izzy?" Edward was standing in the doorway, fully dressed.

"Yeah, it's fine. I didn't mean to wake you up."

"I need to get going anyway. Mike is getting the moving truck at 8am so…"

"Oh yeah. Hope the psycho bitch isn't there."

"Yeah, me too."

"Did you call a cab?"

"Yeah…should be here in a few…"

We both were quiet. In the early morning hour, the guilt weighed heavily on my mind. I didn't expect the evening to veer in the direction that it did and our actions couldn't be undone. But the pleasure I'd experienced at his hands had been exquisite.

He grabbed his olive messenger bag and slung it over his shoulder.

"The cab should be here any minute." He leaned down and kissed me on my forehead.

"I'll see you soon." He said, tucking my hair behind my ear. And then he was gone. I locked the door behind him and couldn't help the tears that formed in my eyes. Why was I crying? Because of guilt? Because I really didn't want him to go? I went into my bedroom and crawled under the covers. The sheets smelled like him. Woodsy and masculine. I hugged my pillow, inhaling the scent and fell into a fitful sleep.

~SD~

"Izzy? Izzy?" Someone was calling my name and banging on the door. I glanced over at the clock. Ten thirty. Shit. I never slept this late.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yelled as I ran to the door.

As soon as I unlocked the door and pulled it open, Alice charged in. She was small, barely five feet but her personality added another ten feet to her stature. She was a quick-witted, fast-talking, fashion-forward force to be reckoned with when she was on and she was always on.

"Sorry, Izzy, were you in the shower?" Alice asked, handing me a Starbucks cup. I looked down and realized I was still in my fuzzy purple robe.

"No, I was asleep."

"This late? That's not like you." Her hazel eyes wide.

"I know, it's been a long, hot week." I said, flopping down on the sofa. I sipped my mocha frappachino and savored the sweet, icy liquid.

"Well, get dressed. We're going shopping today, remember? I need a new outfit for tonight. What are you wearing?"

"Alice, please don't be mad but I can't come with you guys tonight. I promised Em that we would hang out."

"Damn it, Izzy!" she said, putting her hand on her hip and actually stomping her tiny foot.

"I know. But he's been really stressed out about his job."

Alice rolled her eyes toward the ceiling.

"If you can't get someone else to take my place, I'll give you the money for my ticket."

"Can you at least go shopping with us today?" Alice asked, a pout marring her delicate features.

"Yes. I'm getting in the shower now." I promised. I walked down the hallway to the bathroom with Alice on my heels.

"Oh, do you have my boots that I left here a couple weeks ago? I think I want to wear them tonight."

"Yeah, they're in my closet."

She pushed my bedroom door open and started laughing.

"What?"

"I know why you slept so late this morning you dirty slore!"

My heart began thumping loudly. Did she know? Did we leave evidence of our indiscretion?

"You finally used the gift I gave you!" she yelled, pointing at the neon pink vibe that I had absently thrown on the night table.

"Shut up, Alice." I mumbled, feeling my face heating up.

"So did you finally experience the big O?" she asked, eager for more information. Well, this part I didn't have to lie about.

"I did." I admitted.

"And?"

"It was awesome." I said giggling.

"So now you can show Emmett what you like so he can get you off, too."

I had never thought about that. She was right. I _could_ take my new knowledge and apply it to my relationship with Emmett. While out shopping with Rose and Alice, I bought a couple of sexy lingerie sets. Maybe after dinner, Emmett would be in the mood to have a little fun. When I got back to my apartment, I showered again and donned the naughty lingerie that Rose swore would give any straight man a heart attack. Since it was still hot outside, I put on a flowered maxi dress and pulled my dark locks up into a bun. I was applying waterproof mascara when I heard the door buzzer. I pressed the intercom.

"It's me." I heard Emmett's voice and buzzed him up. I unlocked my door and ran back to the bathroom to finish getting ready.

"You ready, babe?" He called from the living room a minute later.

"Yep! Let me grab my purse." I called back. I grabbed a small clutch from my closet and went to greet him.

"Finally! Let's go." Emmett said as soon as he saw me. He definitely had the tall, dark and handsome thing going on. He and Edward were the same height- six feet two, but Emmett was much stockier. He kept his dark brown hair cut short and he had two adorable dimples, one on each cheek. His deep brown eyes were framed by long lashes and thick eyebrows.

"No kiss or hug?"

"You're right. Sorry." He said. He leaned over and kissed my cheek.

"I've missed you."

"Yeah, I know, work has been taking over my life. But when I get that promotion, fingers crossed, it will all be worth it."

"I'm sure you'll get it, Em." I told him as I locked the door behind us. We made our way down three flights and out into the sweltering heat that didn't seem to be letting up.

"Em, you know the apartment management hates it when you park your car on the sidewalk like that. They get complaints from the tenants." I said, seeing his red Audi TT partially blocking the walkway leading into the building.

"The parking is so shitty around here; I didn't have time to look for a spot. They'll get over it." He shrugged.

Dinner at Arriba's was good. Emmett was happy as a clam; Mexican food was his absolute favorite cuisine. While we were enjoying our tacos carnitas, a text came through from Alice. It was a pic of her, Rose and another friend of ours Rachel in the crowd at the concert. I smiled at the picture.

"Who's that?" Emmett asked, his mouth full.

"Oh just Alice, she sent me a pic from the concert."

"I'm sure you're not missing much. If they have time to take pictures, the band must be pretty lame. Oh, one of the executives is retiring and his retirement party is next Saturday at a Brazilian steakhouse. I'll pick you up at seven."

Is this what happens in a long term relationship? I don't even get asked if I am available or if I even _want_ to go to a retirement dinner for someone more than twice my age?

"I need to get in good with the executives on the thirtieth floor." He continued. "And you know babe, once I get that executive office, I'll be putting a ring on that finger."

The first time he started talking marriage with me, I was flattered and excited that I had finally found a man who took our relationship so seriously and saw a future with me. More and more often lately, I found myself having to push the creeping doubts to the back of my mind. A man who wasn't scared of commitment was like a fucking unicorn.

"Are you sure you want me to come with you? I don't want to get in the way of you schmoozing the executives." I said, trying to find an out.

"Nah, it'll be fun. Are you gonna eat that last taco?"

"You can have it." I said, pushing my plate toward him.

"I'm hoping I can have _you_ for dessert?" He grinned, showing his dimples.

"I think that can be arranged." I giggled. "I have a surprise for you."

"Oh yeah? Well let's get out of here."

He paid the check, leaving exactly a ten percent tip, which was his usual. It angered me every single time because I had waitressed all throughout college and I remembered that tips were the only way I could really earn a living. When he wasn't looking, I tucked a ten dollar bill under my glass. We went back to his brownstone and as soon as we were through the door he was grabbing my boobs and squeezing.

"Slow down, Emmett!" I said laughing.

"I can't. I just want you so badly." He said, kissing me.

"Let's go to your bedroom." I said against his lips. He picked me up and I squealed as he carried me down the hallway.

He kicked his bedroom door open and put me on the bed.

"Take your clothes off." He instructed, his voice gruff with desire. I kicked my sandals off and pulled my dress over my head, revealing the slinky surprise I had bought that day-a small red lacy thong with black trim, and a red push up bra with black lace embroidery. I leaned back on my elbows and waited for him. He was busy pulling his cargo shorts off and unbuttoning his shirt. Finally he looked down at me in his bed.

"I said take everything off. Get naked." He said, not even noticing the lingerie. I was stunned for a second and then I just unhooked my bra and pulled my panties down. Emmett kicked out of his boxers and immediately entered me with his thick cock. It was uncomfortable; I wasn't wet.

"Em, honey, slow down a little."

"I can't, babe. It just feels too good." He groaned.

"Please? It kind of hurts."

"Okay, okay." He said, slowing his thrusts down marginally. He pumped into me, grunting and panting against my shoulder.

"Fuck, babe, I'm close. Shit!" he moaned as his thrusts faltered and then his hips stilled after his release. His body collapsed on top of mine.

"Mmmm Izzy, I needed that." He rasped. He pulled out of me and flopped onto the bed next to me.

"Oh yeah…what was your surprise?"


	5. Chapter 5

I was sitting at my desk on Monday, editing a grant proposal that one of the interns, Leah, had written. Of all of the interns, she was the most promising. The content was great, it just needed a bit of polishing.

"Hey, Izzy. A guy is at the front desk for you." Tyler said, leaning against my desk. Our office was small and pretty casual, so it wasn't unusual for the administrative assistant to give us messages directly, instead of just calling.

"And girl, he is fiiiiiiine!" he told me. Also, Tyler liked to gossip.

"Does this fine guy have a name?"

"Yeah. He said his name is Edward."

"Oh, that's Emmett's brother. I hope everything is okay." I said, getting a bit nervous. Why was Edward at my job?

"Two men that handsome in one family? Do they have another brother that hot who is gay?" He asked.

"No, Tyler. What about Eric?" I asked, referring to Tyler's boyfriend, as we walked down the hallway to the reception area.

"What about him? He doesn't mind sharing…" he said with a wink as he sat down at his desk.

Edward stood up from his chair, smiling when he saw me. He was wearing a charcoal gray button up shirt with the sleeves rolled up and a pair of black pants.

"Hey, Izzy. You look pretty today." He said. I was wearing a royal blue blouse tucked into a black pencil skirt with my black peep toe wedge sandals.

"Thanks." I said shyly. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, everything is fine. I just wanted to know if you wanted to go to lunch."

My first thought was to say no. Since Friday, the guilt of our actions had been weighing on me. But a week ago, if he had stopped by my office to go to lunch, I wouldn't have thought twice about accompanying him. If things were going to get back to normal, we would have to get used to being in each other's presence.

"Sure, let me get my purse. I'll be right back." I told him.

We decided to brave the scorching heat and go to the café across the street from my building. It was filling up quickly, but we were seated immediately.

"So how's your Monday going so far?" he asked while we looked at the menu.

"Not bad. How about yours?"

"Busy as hell." He said, telling me about the demanding client that called him on Sunday night wanting Edward to review his income tax forms from the last five years because he didn't trust his accountant.

"So this morning when I get to work, there are two boxes on my desk that he dropped off, full of crumpled receipts and shit."

"Ugh. Don't you have interns or assistants that can help you with going through his crap?" I asked.

"Yeah, but if they miss something, it's my ass."

"Very true." I conceded.

"So how was the concert on Saturday?"

"Oh, I didn't go." I told him.

The waitress came over to take our orders. I ordered a grilled chicken salad and Edward ordered the turkey club sandwich.

"So why didn't you go with Alice and Rose?" Edward asked after the waitress took our menus.

"Emmett wanted to go to Arriba's. He was stressed out about work."

"Did something happen with his project?"

"No, he just really wants this promotion. He wants everything to go smoothly so he can shine, get noticed by the upper level executives and move up."

"And Mexican food was going to help, how?"

"Shut up Edward." I said, wadding up a paper napkin and throwing it at him. He batted it away chuckling and it landed on our table. His face suddenly got serious.

"Izzy, I wanted to talk about what happened Friday." He said quietly, stroking his chin.

"I thought we agreed to not talk about it." I whispered.

"No, we agreed to keep it between us." He countered.

"What's there to talk about?" I asked, wrapping my arms around my body.

"I want to make sure you don't feel like I took advantage of you. I suggested a crazy idea. We were both drinking quite a bit..."

"No, I don't feel that way. You were a gentleman. I was the one who asked..."

"But I took it further...fuck...it was so good..._you_ were so good..." he cleared his throat.

"I know things went further than we expected it to…" he stammered. "But I have no regrets. The only thing I would regret is if you were upset about it."

"I'm not upset. Not with you. So no worries." I told him.

He looked relieved. After that, we enjoyed a pleasant lunch, our conversation flowing easily. I can't deny that there was more eye contact then usual, sometimes lingering looks that lasted several seconds before one of us laughed nervously and resumed the conversation. And when I dared a glance at his sensual lips, I couldn't help but remember how his kiss had felt and my own lips tingled.

After the check was taken care of, we chatted a few more minutes.

"I guess I should get back to the office." Edward said.

"Me, too." I said.

Neither of us moved. His hand slid across the table to where mine was resting next to my empty glass. Slowly, he used his thumb to trace light circles on the back of my hand, barely touching my skin. That gentle touch sent shocks of electricity coursing through my veins with every sweep of his thumb. Our eyes were locked again, green to brown, and I was lost in a sea of feeling that I couldn't understand.

"Damn it." He groaned and pulled his hand away, grabbing the vibrating phone from his hip.

"Cullen….yeah…yeah…tell them I'll be there in fifteen minutes. Okay." He said and hung up.

"Iz, I really have to go." He said.

"I understand. I'll talk to you later." I said, waving him away. He opened his mouth like he wanted to say something more, but he closed it and just grabbed his messenger bag and left.

I took my time walking back to my own office. I was feeling guilty again, but why? All he had done was touch my hand. I touch people's hands all of the time, it's no big deal. I shook a client's hand that morning and I didn't feel guilty about that. It's just a hand.

The rest of my afternoon went quickly because I threw myself into my work. I packed up my things around six and walked by the reception area to the elevators.

"Good night, Tyler." I said, waving.

"Good night, Izzy. Oh, you might want to grab an umbrella, it's pouring outside."

"Thanks." I said, running back to my desk and grabbing my emergency umbrella from my bottom desk drawer. Sure enough, the heat wave had finally broken and a cool rain was peltingthe city. As I was walking to the subway station, a car sped down the street, hitting a huge puddle and splashing me with dirty rain water.

"Asshole." I mumbled under my breath. I couldn't wait to get home and take a shower. By the time I was walking the two blocks to my apartment building, the sky really opened up and the rain became torrential, soaking me despite my trusty umbrella. I walked as quickly as I could in my sandals and slipped on the wet cement as soon as the building was in sight, falling hard on my ass. I heard my tight pencil skirt split in the back, all the way to the waistband, along the seam. I covered my eyes, fighting back tears. When I opened them, Edward was standing in front of me, soaked from head to toe, his bronze hair plastered to his face.

"What are you doing here?"

"I…I needed to see you. Are you okay?" He asked, offering his hand. I took it and he helped me up and took my bags from me.

"I split my skirt." I said, the tears falling. God, why was I so emotional? I fell, big deal. It was nothing to cry over.

"Come on Izzy, let's get inside." He took off his wet shirt and wrapped it around my waist and put his arm around me.

"Edward, why are you here?" I demanded, spinning around to face him. I could hear thunder rumbling in the distance.

"Izzy, let's talk inside." He said, grabbing my hand. The sky lit up with a flash of lightning.

"No, talk now. What do you want? What if I was with Emmett?" I cried, pulling my hand away.

"I told you, I needed to see you." Fat drops of water dripped from his nose as he glared at me.

"Why? I already told you a few hours ago that you didn't take advantage of me! What else it there to say, Edward?"

"Let's go inside." He said through gritted teeth. I pushed past him and ran into the building, talking off my sandals and jogging up the three flights to my apartment. I unlocked the door and let us in, threw my soaked shoes on the floor and looked at him.

"We're inside. Now can you tell me what the fuck you want, why you're stalking me?" I practically yelled. He pulled me into him and kissed me roughly. I was stunned at first, but caught up quickly. Our tongues tasted each other's hungrily and I felt like I just could not get close enough. My hands twisted into his hair and he groaned against my lips.

"Izzy, I can't stop thinking about you." He whispered.

"Me too, Edward. I want you so bad...Fuck me." I told him, finally saying what I had been scared to admit to myself. He growled and started ripping my clothes off one piece at a time until I was wearing only a pair of black and white polka dotted panties. He looked down at me, smiling mischievously.

"I have another idea." He pushed me against the bookcase in my living room and clutched the sides of my panties, pulling them down slowly as he kneeled in front of me. He kissed my calf, my knee, both thighs and then hitched one leg over his shoulder. He sucked on the inside of my thigh before he ran his tongue the length of my slit. My knees buckled and Edward had to hold me in place. He licked my sensitive flesh over and over, the pleasure so great that it was actually dizzying. When he began gently sucking my swollen clit, my hips began to roll against his mouth. He moaned and cupped my cheeks in his large hands, squeezing. The small room was filled with the sounds of my breathy, desperate moans and his grunts.

"Don't stop…don't stop." I pleaded and he didn't. I never knew it could be like this, so necessary. My muscles clenched as I got close to the edge and all at once my body splintered apart. I shuddered violently as I came, a keening cry on my lips. My legs were like rubber and Edward lifted me up easily. I sucked on his tongue, tasting my arousal on his lips, as he walked us to my bedroom.

"Still want me to fuck you?" he asked.

"Now."

Edward wasted no time pulling off his wet clothes and plucking a condom from my bedside table. He slid easily into my welcoming heat and quickly set a punishing rhythm. No words were spoken as our hips crashed together over and over, just harsh breaths and quiet moans. He pulled out of me and I whimpered from the loss.

"Turn over." He whispered, lifting me to my knees and plunging back in.

"Izzy…so fucking sexy…" he growled, his fingers digging into the flesh of my hips. He was so deep in this position. He pounded me, his balls slapping against my pussy, and I loved every minute of it.

"Good, baby?"

"Yes! So good…"

"You like my cock in your tight little pussy?" He punctuated each word with a hard thrust.

"Yes…" I cried.

He reached his hand around and flicked my clit. I immediately flew into another intense orgasm, burying my face into the pillows.

"I can feel you, Izzy." Edward groaned. "Fuck I'm gonna come."

He thrust three more times, moaning a string of expletives and then he was still. Our desperate passion had been sated and the room was quiet as our heartbeats slowed. He kissed the back of my neck before pulling out. While Edward disposed of the condom, I debated whether I wanted a shower or dinner first. Sleep won.


	6. Chapter 6

"Number seven of the top ten plays…Cubs and Dodgers…seventh inning…face full of fence! And you know what's cool…he never even lost his shades…" I heard an unfamiliar voice droning in the background as I surfaced from my sleep.

I opened one eye and saw that Sportscenter was playing softly on my bedroom television.

"I know you're awake." Edward murmured. I looked over and he was propped up against the headboard in his boxers with his iPad in his hands, his eyes darting between the iPad screen and the top ten plays of the day.

"I am and I am starving." I admitted, sitting up and pulling the sheet up and over my body. "What time is it?"

"It's after ten." He told me. Mentally I took stock of my kitchen, pondering what I could make to eat that would be quick.

"Edward, can you grab me my robe?" I said, pointing at the robe lying across the back of my desk chair, closest to the side of the bed where he was.

"Absolutely not. I prefer you naked."

"Edward…"

He chuckled and tossed my robe at me. I pulled it on and got out of the bed, padding toward the door in my bare feet. It was weird, this exchange between Edward and I after...it felt so normal and comfortable. It didn't feel forced or awkward at all.

"Where are you going?" he asked, looking up from his iPad.

"To make dinner. Is spaghetti and meatballs okay?"

"You don't have to cook now. We can just order some takeout."

"Nah, I'd rather cook." I didn't want Chinese or pizza or Thai.

"It's fine with me, I'll eat anything. Do you mind if I take a shower?"

"Clean towels and new soap are in the hall closet. Knock yourself out." I said as I opened the door and walked down the hall. I passed the kitchen and went to my purse, which was on the floor in front of my couch. I pulled out my cell phone. Five missed calls, four from Emmett, one from Alice. There were also three unread text messages, all from Emmett.

**_Can u believe I left the car window cracked and the seat got wet? I am so pissed!_**

**_Babe, I've been calling…where r u?_**

**_Well, I guess ur too busy writing or whatever. Guess I'll talk to u when you have time._**

I stood there with my phone in my hand. Should I call him back or should I text him? I decided to text him.

**_Sorry I missed your calls and texts earlier. I fell asleep as soon as I came home. I had a long day. - Izzy_**

**_Whatever. It's fine. I needed to talk to you about something but it's cool. - Emmett_**

**_Did something happen with ur project work? - Izzy_**

**_I'm going to bed - Emmett_**

**_Emmett we can talk now if u want… -Izzy_**

No response.

I went in to the kitchen and started making dinner. Emmett was so infuriating at times. But how could I really be mad at him? I was fucking his brother. His _brother_. Oh God. I was going to be sick.

"It smells good in here." Edward called as he walked down the hallway to the kitchen in his now-dried-but-very-wrinkled clothes.

"You have to go. Now." I said, my whole body quaking.

"Izzy, what's wrong?" he asked, his brows furrowed in confusion.

"I'm such a horrible person. You're his brother! Fuck!" I said, almost hysterical, covering my face with my hands.

"You're not a horrible person…" He said, crossing the room and putting his arms around me. I pulled away.

"I don't have any excuses this time. I wasn't drinking."

"You think this is easy for me? He's my _family_! It's not like I'm an impulsive person but Izzy, I can't fucking stay away from you! Whatever this is between us..."

"There is no us!" I screamed, the tears breaking free. "Get out! We can't do this anymore."

"_Izzy_..." He pleaded.

"Edward...the guilt. I can't live with it."

He nodded his head. "You're right. You're right. But I want you to know that this is not just sex for me. It was _never_ just sex for me."

I cried then, sobs wracking my frame.

"Iz, I'll go. I promise I'll leave you alone. Are you gonna be okay?"

I nodded, trying to control my weeping.

"Okay….Okay." He grabbed his messenger bag, and after looking back at me once, he opened the door and left.

~SD~

Of course I couldn't sleep at all that night. About four o'clock, I stopped trying. I emailed my boss and told her that I was feeling under the weather and that I would be working from home that day. The interns all had their assignments so I could easily spend the day editing from my apartment. I made a batch of brownies and decided to take them to Emmett's job. I had done it a couple of times before, Valentine's day and his birthday, and he had appreciated the gesture.

Around eleven, I took a taxi to his job, brownies in hand and my shoulders squared. It was time for me to refocus on my relationship. Emmett was a good guy and we had a future together. I walked up to the front desk on the ground floor of his building.

"Hi, I'm here to see Emmett Cullen. Suite 3901." I said to the receptionist, an older woman with silver hair in a tight bun.

"And your name?"

"Isabella Swan."

"One moment." She said, picking up the phone and dialing. She spoke quickly and quietly into the phone.

"Mr. Cullen says you can go up." She told me. After she issued me a guest pass with my name and the date, I walked over to the bank of elevators and made my way up to the 39th floor. He was waiting for me when I got off.

"Hey babe, what are you doing here?" Emmett asked.

"I brought you some brownies. And I wanted to know if you wanted to go out to lunch and talk. I know you wanted to talk about something last night."

"Fuck babe, your brownies are the best!" he said, popping open the plastic storage container and stuffing a brownie into his mouth. He moaned in appreciation.

"I can't do lunch today, we're going to have a working lunch here in the office. It's been pretty stressful." He said.

"Oh yeah? What's going on?"

"The developers are upset. They feel that we are pushing the release date up too much. They say that there is no way we can go live in a week and that they need another month of beta testing. We've pushed the date back too many times, there's no way we can do it again. It's a big mess."

A tall man walked by us on his way to the elevators. Emmett stopped him.

"Aro…I'd like you to meet my girlfriend, Isabella. Izzy, this is the executive vice president, Aro Miklos."

"Nice to meet you Mr. Miklos." I said.

"Please, call me Aro. Very nice to meet you as well. Emmett you never told us just how stunning your girlfriend was." Aro said, his voice deep and resonant. The way he was leering made me a little uncomfortable and I leaned into Emmett.

"She bakes, too." Emmett joked, showing Aro the container of brownies.

"You better not ever let her go." Aro said to Emmett, but he was looking at me.

He checked his watch. "I'm late for an appointment. It was nice meeting you. Have a good afternoon." He said and he was off.

"I should get going too. Come by my apartment after work. I'll cook for us."

"Rosemary chicken?"

"Sure."

"Before you go, can you come into my office?" Emmett said. I was confused, but I followed him down the hall to his office where he closed and locked the door. He put the container of brownies on his massive desk, next to his laptop.

"Izzy…I need a little stress relief." He said, a smile playing on his lips. He leaned against the desk. At first I was baffled, then it dawned on me what he wanted and it made my stomach turn.

"Here?"

"Hell, yeah. Come on, babe. Please?"

I sank down to my knees in front of him, unbuckled his belt and opened his pants. He pulled his shirt tails up and I pulled his boxers down. His thick cock stood out proudly from his large frame. I licked the length of his cock before sucking all of him into my warm mouth, hallowing my cheeks. I gripped him at the base of his cock, stroking him as I swirled my tongue around.

"Fuck yeah, babe." He groaned. He held my head in place and began to fuck my mouth. I sucked and moved my tongue along the underside of his dick. I looked up at him and his eyes were jammed shut, his mouth open as he panted. I felt him grow even harder in my mouth. He grunted and then I felt him spill into my mouth in warm spurts. I swallowed everything that he had to give. I tucked him back into his pants.

"Damn, Izzy." He said as I stood up. "That was awesome."

I stood there in front of him awkwardly for a few moments. Emmett glanced at the clock on the wall.

"Okay, so dinner, tonight?" I said, smoothing my hair.

"I'll be there, probably around eight." He said, sitting down at his desk.

"Okay. I love you." I said.

"I love you too, Izzy." He said with a grin, his dimples showing.


	7. Chapter 7

"I know, I know- I'm late." I said as soon as I saw Rose and Alice sitting on the benches in our gym's women's locker room. I ran up to my locker and started throwing stuff in and getting my workout clothes out.

"You better hurry up and get dressed, class starts in exactly five minutes." Alice told me.

I changed quickly into a long tank top, a pair of leggings and my sneakers.

"Damn it, I forgot my water bottle." I said, sighing in frustration as I pulled my hair into a ponytail.

"I have an extra." Rose said, opening her locker and handing it to me. "What is up with you? You are so distracted lately."

Rose's blue eyes squinted at me with curiosity. Tall, slender with blond hair and perfect features, Rose could have easily been a model. But, to the utter surprise of most people, she works at an auto body repair shop as a technician. And it wasn't just to pretty the place up, she knew her shit.

"I know why she's so distracted." Alice said, giggling impishly.

"Alice…" I warned.

"Can you clue me in?" Rose asked.

"Miss Swan has finally discovered the big O!" Alice screeched.

"Shut up, Alice!" I whisper-shouted, looking around to see if anyone heard us.

"Oh relax, no one's in here." Alice told me.

"Big Em finally figured it out, huh?" Rose wanted to know.

"No, she used the gift that I gave her…"

"What gift? Oh…ohhhhhhhh." Rose said. "Have you left the apartment at all?"

"Shut up, both of you. Come on." I said, turning on my heels. They both followed me into the spinning studio. Since we were late, we couldn't get bikes next to each other so I took a bike in the corner. Rose was right; I had been off the whole week. On Wednesday morning, I'd gotten all the way to work before realizing that I'd left my laptop at home. Wednesday night, I left my keys inside when I went to put my trash in the dumpster. I had to walk all the way around to the front of my building in my slippers and sleep shorts that were probably a size too small. And just that morning, I realized at lunch that I'd left my wallet at home. Tyler took pity on me and bought me a sandwich.

Our spin instructor Bree took us through an intense hour. My thighs were on fire halfway through and my calves were ready to give out by the forty five minute mark. When we finished, I was drenched in sweat, but I felt victorious for getting through a tough workout. Alice, Rose and I gathered our things from the locker room and left. We never showered at the gym; it was 'groty' as Alice would say.

"Izzy, your birthday is next month, what do you want to do?" Alice asked as we walked outside to Rose's tricked out black Mustang.

"Vegas!" Rose cried.

"Vegas would be awesome…" Alice agreed.

Rose unlocked the car and we all got in, Alice in the back seat since she was so small.

"How about a nice dinner somewhere?" I suggested.

"Vegas…Vegas…Vegas!" Rose and Alice chanted. I had to admit to myself that Vegas would be fun. But I knew that Emmett would never go and he would be angry if I went anyway without him.

"Maybe we can do Vegas when I turn thirty. This year I want something low key."

"Is 'low key' code for 'something Emmett will agree to'?" Rose asked from the driver's seat. Damn Rose, being all perceptive and shit. There was definitely no love lost between Rose and Emmett. He thought she was conceited and trashy. She felt I was settling-which I didn't understand. He was a successful, intelligent man who was financially stable and wasn't scared of a serious relationship. I mean, he wasn't perfect- no one was- but that didn't mean that I was settling.

"Oh stop, Rose." Alice said, saving me from having to respond to Rose. Alice, the romantic, was certain that Emmett and I were destined to be, just like her and her husband, Jasper. She made me promise, on a weekly basis, that when Emmett proposed I would let her be our wedding planner. "They're still in that early stage of love when you just don't want the other person out of your sight."

"What's your excuse? You and Jasper have been together five years and you're still joined at the hip." Rose asked.

"Just because you like to share your man with other women…" Alice mumbled.

"That was one time! Once!" Rose cried, banging on the steering wheel for emphasis. Rose had made the mistake of telling me and Alice that one time she and her boyfriend of three years Jake had engaged in a ménage a trios. Alice lectured her about the danger of letting another person into their relationship and swore their relationship was doomed. That was two years ago and they were as in love as ever, but Alice wouldn't let it go.

"Guys, stop. Seriously, I just want something small. Maybe we can go to that new spa across the street from the gym?"

Alice and Rose both made enthusiastic sounds about my suggestion. Crisis averted. Rose pulled the car to a stop in front of my building.

"I miss this building. Does Mrs. Santrini still make those Italian cookies?" Alice wanted to know.

"Every Sunday night." I told her, opening the passenger side door. Alice and I lived across the hall from each other until Alice and Jasper got married a year ago. She was the first person I met when I moved in and we had been inseparable ever since. I'd met Rose through Alice- Rose and Jasper were sister and brother. The three of us were very _very_ different, but somehow we balanced each other out.

"Tell her I said hi." Alice said as she got into the front seat.

"I will!" I waved good bye and walked toward my building.

"And put the vibrator down! You'll get desensitized!" I heard Rose call. I turned around, my mouth gaping open in shock, to see Alice and Rose doubled over in laughter.

"Toodles!" Alice yelled and Rose pulled the car into traffic.

Desensitizing? Was that really a thing? I needed to google that.

~SD~

Friday again. I was standing outside of Wings and Things again. It was still over ninety degrees, even in the early evening hours. The traffic was noisy, the people were animated all around me-everything seemed the same as the previous Friday but _I_ was different. I was shaking, literally trembling, wondering if Edward would show up for our weekly dinner. Would I be able to look him in the eye? Would Emmett be able to feel the shift in the energy between us? Would Edward act the same as before? Would I? I could barely concentrate at work as these thoughts swirled around in my mind.

I spotted Emmett sauntering down the street toward the restaurant, talking on his phone. He was wearing a white shirt, a pair of navy pants and a striped tie and looked every bit the go-getter that he was.

"Hey babe." He said, kissing me lightly on the lips in greeting. "That was Edward. He's stuck at work so he's not coming."

"Oh, okay." I said, keeping the relief out of my voice and trying to sound as nonchalant as possible. I followed Emmett inside to the hostess stand.

"Two?" She said and we both nodded. We were seated in Lauren's section again. When she came over to take our drink orders she noticed that Edward was missing.

"Where's your brother?" she cooed.

"He had to work late." Emmett explained.

"Awww, too bad. I hope I'm not overstepping my boundaries, but is he seeing anyone?" she asked hopefully, looking between me and Emmett, waiting for one of us to throw her a bone.

"I don't know, but I don't think so. He hasn't said anything to me about a girlfriend." Emmett said.

"Can you give him my number?" She said, writing her number on a napkin and handing it to Emmett.

"Sure." He said, folding the napkin and putting it in his pocket.

"So what can I get you to drink? And how about an order of loaded potato skins, on the house?"

"Sure!" Emmett said, excitedly. Of course it was just a ploy to get us to convince Edward to give her a chance but all Emmett heard was potato skins and free. We both ordered our beers and she went on to her next table.

"Are you going to give him her number?" I asked, feeling a little pang in the pit of my stomach. I wouldn't call it full blown jealousy but maybe a little tiny _miniscule_ jealousy-lite.

"Yeah, but I don't know why she's interested in him. He's so lazy."

"Lazy? He's an attorney. I don't think a lazy person goes to law school and passes the bar on the first attempt."

"I guess, but he is pretty complacent. There is no way I would settle for being an associate. I would bust my ass to make partner."

"Mmmm." I said, noncommittally. "So how's the project going? Do the developers think that they can get the testing done in time?" I asked, changing the subject.

He launched into a play by play of their latest meeting and I only half-listened, nodding at all the right places, when actually my mind was a million miles away. I thought I would only feel relief since Edward was keeping his promise and keeping his distance. And I was relieved, but I also missed him.

~SD~

"Where is this party at again?" Alice was asking as she plugged her curling iron into my bathroom electrical socket. I had asked her to come over to do something with my hair.

"The Brazilian steakhouse. I forget the name."

"So kind of casual…" she mused. I sat down on the toilet in my robe and she began winding my long locks into loose curls, giving it a lot of movement.

"You should wear your black jumpsuit, the one with the halter top and the pants."

"Heels?"

"Definitely heels. Light makeup, just mascara and a red lip."

She finished curling my hair and I ran across the hallway into my bedroom and put on the jumpsuit. It was five minutes before seven and Emmett would be there any minute. I went into the living room and modeled it for Alice.

"You need a thong. The material is thin and your panty line is noticeable."

I went back into my bedroom and changed my panties. I added heels and went back for Alice's inspection.

"Open toe heels, more summery." she suggested.

Once Alice was satisfied with my shoe choice, I added a couple coats of black mascara and my favorite red lipstick from MAC.

I did a little spin for Alice in the living room and she applauded.

"Magnifique!" she said in her fake French accent. She snapped a pic with her iPhone and sent it to Rose.

"Rose said that you look hot and that she would do you." Alice read me Rose's text and we both cracked up.

I went into my bedroom to get my purse and the door buzzed.

"Alice, can you buzz him in?" I yelled from my closet. I heard Alice let Emmett into the apartment while I searched for the silver clutch that I had bought a few months ago. I finally found it, underneath my red sweater in the corner of the closet.

I joined them in the living room a minute later, purse in hand.

"Ah, the _piece de resistance_." Alice said, eying the clutch.

"So Madame approves?"

"She does." Alice giggled.

"You ready to go, babe?" Emmett said, standing up from the sofa, his broad shoulders filling out his crisp blue shirt very nicely.

"Yep, all set."

"Okay, I'll see you guys later. I'm going to stop by Mrs. Santrini's before I go home to say hi." Alice told us.

"Thanks, Alice." I said as she walked to the door.

"Bye, shorty." Emmett said.

She waved as she slipped out of the apartment.

"Do I look okay?" I asked Emmett.

"You look fine. Come on, I'm double parked."

"Emmett!"

"Well, you told me not to park on the sidewalk!" He said, ushering me out the door.

"What's the name of the person who is retiring?" I asked as we drove toward the restaurant.

"His name is Felix. He is the other executive vice president."

"Do we need to stop for a card?"

"No, the office did a group card and everyone put in money for a gift."

"That's nice…what's the gift?"

"I didn't ask." Of course he didn't.

"Like how many people are going to be there?"

"I have no idea, thirty or forty?"

I sighed.

We walked into the restaurant thirty minutes later, after Emmett complained over and over about how impossible it was to find parking. The hostess ushered us into a large private room and introductions were made. Everyone was really nice and welcoming, but so many names and titles were being thrown at me and I knew I'd never remember it all. We sat at a table with people from Emmett's department. The only other people I recognized were Alec and his wife Jane-I had met them at the company barbeque in July. We chatted together for a few minutes while Emmett made his rounds. I felt a hand on my shoulder.

"Isabella, it's so nice to see you again."

"Hello Aro, very nice to see you as well."

He pointed to the chair to my right. "Is this seat taken?"

I shook my head. "No, feel free."

He sat down and was quiet as Alec, Jane and I resumed our conversation. Emmett returned to his seat as soon as the food began arriving. Everything that I tasted was marvelous. We were all discussing how delicious each dish was when I felt something bump my right knee. I looked over at Aro, thinking that maybe I had accidentally bumped him under the table, but he was talking to the man across from him so I let it go. A couple minutes later, I felt it again, this time it lingered for a few seconds. Five minutes after that, I could clearly feel Aro's hand on my knee and this time he wasn't removing it. He slid it higher, one centimeter at a time. I looked at him and he was still in deep conversation. I discreetly moved his hand away.

"Everything okay?" Jane asked me, her eyes looking concerned.

"Yeah, why?"

"For a second you had a grimace on your face."

"Yeah, that last piece of chicken was a little too spicy for me." I told her, laughing. And lying.

"Babe, you love spicy food." Emmett said.

"Yeah, but that was a bit much even for me. The habaneros." I said, sipping from my water glass for added effect.

Aro placed his hand on my knee yet again, moving higher until he was grazing my thigh. This time I looked at Emmett to see if he noticed what was going on. He was busy arguing with Alec about something work related. Aro squeezed my thigh and I abruptly stood up. Everyone at the table stopped talking and looked up at me.

"Excuse me, I am going to the ladies room." I announced. I hastily made my way to the restroom and only breathed once the door was closed and I was alone. I splashed some water on my flushed face. I just had to get through this stupid dinner and I probably would never have to see Aro again. Yeah right. Well, even if I saw him again, I would make sure I was never alone with him and that he was never ever seated next to me. I can do this. I can do this.

I pushed the door open and the first face I saw was Aro's

"You know what I want." He growled, his face shadowed in the darkened alcove where the restrooms were located.

I pushed past him and he grabbed my arm.

"Let go of me!" I said, shrugging him off.

"Just one night. And I can guarantee that your boyfriend gets the vice president position that I know he wants so desperately."

"Emmett is very good at his job. He will get the promotion, with or without you."

"One word from me and it's a done deal." He said arrogantly.

"I'm willing to take the chance that he'll get it without your help." I spat. He chuckled and cupped my breast. I slapped his hand away but he held onto my hand, squeezing it so hard that it brought tears to my eyes.

"I _will_ have you. And if you ever tell Emmett, I will ruin him." He let go of my hand and pushed me aside, striding assuredly into the men's room as I stumbled into the wall from the force of his shove.

My eyes filled with tears again, but for a different reason this time. What the fuck was I going to do?


	8. Chapter 8

"Nuh-uh, Izzy. Look at those bags under your eyes." Tyler tsked as I walked by his desk when I got off the elevator Monday morning.

"Good morning to you, too." I quipped, as I walked toward my cubicle. He followed me.

"You must've had a helluva weekend." He said, standing next to my desk as I unpacked my laptop and turned it on.

"I guess you could say that."

"With which brother- Emmett or Edward?"

I knocked my purse over in surprise. "Wh-what?" I stuttered.

"Mmm hmm. I may be a gay man, but I am still a _man_. When he came up here looking for you last week, when you came out he was looking at you like you were water in the desert. Thirsty. Desperate for a taste of your…"

"I get it, Tyler." I interrupted him as I picked up my handbag and put it in my bottom desk drawer. "He is just a friend. It's not like that."

"Friends don't look at each other the way he was looking at you. It might just be one sided, but he definitely has a thing for you."

"Well, it doesn't matter because I am with Emmett." I said firmly, more to myself than to Tyler.

"FYI, the boss told me to tell you to come to her office as soon as you came in." he told me, his voice dropping to a whisper. "I think one of the interns fucked something up."

"Oh, that's perfect." I groaned. "Thanks for the heads up."

After checking my e-mails and finishing my coffee, I made my way to Victoria's office. She was a statuesque redhead who I considered fair, but no nonsense. I think she pawned the interns off on me because she knew she didn't have the patience to deal with college kids.

I sat in her office while she explained that one of the interns had indeed fucked up- royally. So royally that they were removed from the internship and would not receive credit. She needed a whole proposal rewritten by the end of business. I enlisted Leah's help and we worked straight through lunch trying to get it done on time.

I was so engrossed in my computer screen that I didn't notice Tyler standing over me until he cleared his throat. I looked up and he was carrying a beautiful vase filled with red roses.

"I don't know what tricks you were doing this weekend to get Emmett to send you some flowers but can you tell me later? Maybe draw me a picture, or a diagram…"

"Shut up, Tyler." I said rolling my eyes. He set the flowers on my desk and walked back around the corner. I had a huge smile on my face as I opened the attached card.

**Can't wait until I see you again.**

It wasn't signed. Only Emmett would send me something not signed, assuming that I would know who it was from. I giggled as I dialed him from my desk.

"Hey Babe." He answered.

"Em, thank you so much for the flowers. They are beautiful!" I gushed.

"Um, Izzy, I didn't send you flowers."

"What?"

"Are you sure they are for you and not for someone else?" He asked. I checked the card. It said Isabella Swan and my work address.

"They have my name…" I trailed off, feeling completely and utterly embarrassed.

"Maybe it was a mistake or something. Look at it this way, you got some free flowers. That's pretty cool, right?"

"I guess." I said. "I should get back to work."

"Yeah, me too. It's crazy here. I probably won't be leaving until after eight. I'll call you when I get home. Love you." He said.

"Love you, too." I said absently before I hung up. Who would send me flowers at work? It wasn't…it better not have been… My stomach clenched with anxiety.

I pulled out my cell phone and began furiously texting.

_**You promised to leave me alone! Why would u send flowers to my job -Izzy**_

Two minutes later I got a response:

_**I have no idea what u r talking about- Edward**_

_**Edward, please don't play games. I thought Emmett sent them and I called him, thanking him like an idiot - Bella**_

_**I swear Izzy, I did not send u flowers. – Edward**_

_**Okay. Whatever. – Izzy**_

_**Are you ok? Otherwise? - Edward**_

_**Yeah, I'm ok. – Izzy**_

_**I miss you – Edward**_

I shook my head as I read his words on the tiny screen. I didn't have time for this today, I thought to myself. I put my phone away and got back to work.

Hours later, I held my phone in my hand as I lay in bed after midnight and texted him back. Those three words had echoed through my mind all day and I couldn't deny that I felt them too, no matter how wrong it was. Edward invaded my thoughts during the day and even sleep wasn't an escape. In my dreams we were together and free and I awoke yearning for him in a way that I'd never yearned for another. A thousand times I'd wanted to call him or text him or just go to him. The three words weren't enough to convey all the emotions that I felt but they were all I had.

**I miss you too – Izzy**

A minute later my phone rang.

"How do you know that Emmett isn't here?" I said as soon as I answered.

"You wouldn't have texted me." Edward said. "And you wouldn't have answered the phone."

"You sound accustomed to sneaking around with people that are in relationships."

"No, I make it a habit _not_ to be involved with people that are in relationships, especially with my brother. But I know you."

"I'm sure you think you do, but you don't." I spat.

"Why do you do that? With me, you won't give me an inch, you challenge me on every word but with Emmett…" he started, but didn't finish.

"With Emmett, what?" I prompted.

"Even before all of this happened, if I teased you, you teased me right back. If I gave you a hard way to go, you gave it back to me. With Emmett, you never speak up for yourself."

"Because he doesn't listen. You said it yourself. It's pointless."

"Yeah, but what does that say about…you know what, never mind. I can't have this conversation with you."

"Then why did you call me?"

"Because I miss you. I wanted to see how you were. Do you realize that we haven't gone more than a week without seeing each other for six months?"

When I thought back, I realized that he was right. We had started our weekly dinners at Wings and Things back in February. Sometimes Rose, Jake, Alice, Jasper and Tanya (the bitch) had joined us. And even Emmett had skipped out on a couple. But it was always me and Edward. Always.

"You're right."

"Tell me about work." He said. We talked about my job and his and my friends and his for the next hour or so.

"Did you ever figure out who sent you the flowers?" Edward asked.

"No. I was so caught up in work that I completely forgot about them. Maybe Alice or Rose sent them as a joke or something."

"Maybe." He said. We were both quiet.

"What are you thinking about?" I asked.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked. _Say no, say no, say no_ my mind screamed at me.

"Yes."

"I'm thinking about how good you felt when I was inside of you." He breathed. My heartbeat quickened as soon as the words were out of his mouth. I certainly thought often about how erotic and wonderful every single moment that we had spent together was. I couldn't _stop_ thinking about it.

"How good did it feel?"

"So. Fucking. Good. I want it. Right now." He growled, his voice growing husky.

"Edward…" I warned. We were traveling a slippery slope.

"Oh, by the way, you're fucking delicious."

"Edward, that was…" I said, my eyes closing as I leaned back against my pillows. My insides clenched with desire.

"Was it good? Did you like it when I ate your pussy?" he whispered. Damn, just his words made my panties wet.

"Yes." I admitted in a small voice.

"Tell me your favorite part."

"I…I liked it when you sucked on my clit."

"Mmmm, I liked that part, too. Especially when you came on my tongue." He groaned. I was pressing my thighs together underneath my comforter.

"Edward…" I said, my voice betraying the neediness that I was feeling.

"I know, baby. Go ahead and reach into your panties. Touch yourself." he crooned.

I slid my hand under the waistband of my panties and down to my slit. God, I was so wet.

"If I was there, what would you want me to do to you?" he asked me.

"I can't tell you…"

"Yes, you can."

"I would want you to lick my nipples…" I murmured. I rubbed my fingers back and forth along my soft flesh.

"Mmmm…what else?"

"I would want you to bite them, just a little."

"I would definitely do that."

"Then I would want you inside me." I said, pushing two fingers into my wet core.

"Slow and deep?"

"Yes…" I moaned as I pumped my fingers in and out.

We listened to each other's soft gasps and moans as we brought ourselves to climax. After we were sated, we stayed on the phone, quiet but connected. I thought he had fallen asleep.

"Izzy?"

"Yes?"

"I know what we're doing is wrong. But I can't take this push/pull thing that is going on. You have been very clear about what you want and even if I don't like it, I have to respect it."

I didn't know what to say to that. But he didn't need me to say anything because after that he disconnected the call.


	9. Chapter 9

The next afternoon, I left work a bit early to meet Alice at her store. She was the manager at a trendy boutique named Eclipse and she wanted me to edit an email blast that she was sending out to all of the customers about a big clearance sale they were having. Honestly we could have done it over email, but I think Alice just wanted to hang out, so I agreed to meet her.

As I neared the store, I saw her in the window, holding a plastic arm in her hand as she redressed a mannequin. I knocked on the window and she waved me inside.

"Hey, Izzy. Come to the back office and I'll show you what I have so far." She said, weaving through the clothing racks with the mannequin's arm still in her hand. When I sat down at her desk, Alice glanced at me and furrowed her perfectly groomed eyebrows.

"Izzy, you look…well you've looked better. Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just haven't been sleeping great…and work has been kind of stressful."

"Well, maybe this will cheer you up…I called and made appointments for us at the spa on the Saturday before your birthday. Massages, facials, manis and pedis. You need some pampering."

"That sounds really good actually." I admitted.

"What are you and Emmett doing for your birthday?"

"We haven't discussed it." I told her.

"Are you two fighting or something?"

"No…I just…I don't know…" I sputtered, unable to complete a thought.

"Relationships are hard. Sometimes you're like insanely in love and sometimes you just want to claw their face off. I get it."

"How did you know that Jasper was the one? The one you could spend the rest of your life with?" I asked suddenly.

"I still haven't decided." She giggled. Then her face took on a serious expression. "I just knew. It's a gut feeling."

"And you never doubted?"

"I'm happier with him than without him. Simple as that."

"Are you talking about Channing Tatum again?" A voice drawled before a handsome face peeked into the open door.

"Of course. All of womankind is happier, simply because he exists." She said, sticking her tongue out at her husband. He walked over and kissed her on the lips. He bent his tall frame down and kissed me on the top of the head.

"Hey Izzy! Alice is putting you to work too, huh? She asked me to come down and fix one of the lights in the dressing room."

"Well, I tried to do it, but even on the ladder I wasn't tall enough." She said, pouting. Jasper and I laughed heartily, him holding onto his sides in merriment. He and Rose looked very much alike with golden blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. The only thing keeping him from being too pretty was the crooked nose caused by an errant ball while playing baseball in college. It gave him a rugged look.

"Fuck both of you. Bella, really? You are like three inches taller than me. So…whatever." She rolled her eyes. "And _you_?" she pointed at Jasper with the mannequin arm. "Just come on and fix the stupid light so we can get out of here." She walked out of the cramped office and Jasper followed her, smacking her bottom playfully.

~SD~

Thursday night, Emmett came over to eat dinner with me since I was making lasagna. It was the first time I had seen him since the retirement party so I wanted to discreetly get a little information about Aro. He was talking about work so I casually slipped Aro into the conversation while we ate.

"Is Aro married?" I sipped my glass of lemonade.

"I don't think so. Why?" he said absently, checking his emails on his iPhone.

"Just asking. I assumed he wasn't. He seemed awfully flirtatious on Saturday." I mentioned, moving my fork around on my plate.

"Flirtatious? He was flirting? With you?" he asked, looking up.

"A little, yeah."

He shook his head and snickered. "You've been hanging around Rose's stuck up ass too long. Every guy isn't after you. Maybe he was just making conversation. Did he ask anything about me?"

"N-no."

Emmett talked around a mouthful of lasagna. "He's pretty much a loner. A genius at business but he's not real social. The only reason that he would talk to you is to get information about me. I hope you were nice to him."

I ignored that last statement. "Is he your boss?"

"No, I don't report to him. I report to Caius."

"How about for the position that you want… Would you have to go through him to get it?"

"No, the board of directors would be the ones who would make the decision. He's not on the board."

I began to feel a bit better. He was one person and he wasn't even on the board of directors. Maybe Aro was simply having delusions of grandeur. I ate the rest of my lasagna with gusto, one less burden weighing on my mind.

~SD~

The following Monday, I was in the conference room at work with some of the interns and Tyler came in with a message for me.

"Izzy, someone called the switchboard and said that they needed to speak with you immediately and that it was an emergency." My heart started thumping in my chest as I imagined all sorts or tragedies. I went to my desk and Tyler transferred the call to me.

"Izzy Swan." I said in greeting.

"Isabella…didn't you like my flowers? You never called to thank me…" Aro snarled.

"Aro! You sent the flowers? How did you…" The hand holding the phone shook from the horror of hearing his sinister voice.

"Please, a simple internet search." He scoffed. "Isabella, I am growing impatient."

"I told you, Emmett doesn't need you to help his career." I told him, trying to control my wavering voice.

"You're that confident?"

"Yes I am." I responded.

"You'll be sorry." He said and hung up. I sat stock still at my desk in confusion. My phone rang again. It was Victoria.

"Hi Vicky."

"Izzy, I need you in the conference room." She commanded, leaving off the implied 'now.'

"I'll be right there." I told her. I tried to focus, but I realized that I had grossly underestimated Aro.

That night I was in my apartment when there was a furious banging at my door.

"Izzy! Izzy!" Emmett roared. I ran to the door and pulled it open and Emmett stormed through in a mad frenzy, his face twisted with fury.

"What is it, Em?"

"I was about to leave the office for the day when a human resources rep came into my office to see me. They put me on leave, Izzy. For an indefinite amount of time. They wouldn't even tell me why, they just had security escort me out!" He bellowed.

"What?" I cried in disbelief, my stomach dropping.

"All that fucking work, Izzy. Down the drain. And I don't even know why. Fuck!" he yelled, kicking the TV stand. The television toppled off of the stand and crashed onto the hardwood floor. He kicked my coffee table, shattering the glass and knocking its contents on the floor.

"Emmett, calm down, honey. Calm down." I pleaded with him, fearful of his destructive anger.

"How the fuck can I calm down? My career is over!" He raged at me.

"Call your brother! Call Edward. He's a lawyer. This can't be legal!" I insisted.

Someone knocked at my door while Emmett was dialing his brother. I opened it and Mrs. Santrini was standing in the hall. She was a sweet, grandmotherly widow and I wasn't surprised that she was checking on me.

"Everything okay?" she asked, her eyes looking past me and into the apartment.

"Yes. The television just fell onto the floor. Everything's fine." I responded, plastering a fake smile onto my face.

"Ok. Let me know if you need me, honey." She said looking at me pointedly before walking back down the hall to her own apartment. I eased the door closed.

Emmett was pacing the length of the living room while holding the phone up to his ear.

"I don't know…no, I didn't fill out any paperwork, they just escorted me out…Eddie, I have no idea what it could be…I'm at Izzy's…okay…okay." He said and then he hung up.

He took a deep breath. "Edward said that there might not be any legal recourse since they didn't actually terminate me. He said the only thing he can guess is they are launching some kind of investigation against me and they are putting me on leave until they finish the investigation. He wants to talk to some people at his firm who have more experience in employment law."

"But if you didn't do anything and the investigation comes up clean then you'll be fine." I assured him.

"The presumption will always be guilt, even if they find nothing. They won't fire me, but they damn sure won't promote me. Fuck."

He ran his fingers through his short hair and dropped onto the sofa. I sat down next to him and tried to comfort him but I knew that it was futile. Aro had Emmett and ultimately me right where he wanted us.


	10. Chapter 10

I arrived at work early the next day and awaited the phone call that I knew was coming. At nine o'clock on the dot, an outside call was transferred to my extension.

"Izzy Swan."

"Isabella, do you still doubt my power? Did I not prove to you that I can indeed control the trajectory of Emmett's career?" Aro growled into the phone.

"What do you want, Aro?"

"You. In my bed."

"Why? Why me? Why are you willing to ruin Emmett just to have sex with me?" I hissed into the phone, looking around to see if anyone was close enough to overhear.

"Emmett means nothing to me. He's smart but there are hundreds of smart, driven men that could do his job. You, on the other hand, are a rare jewel- beautiful, yet innocent; sexy but unassuming."

I closed my eyes. "Would this be just once?" I whispered.

"Just one time." He agreed. Hot tears escaped my closed lids and zig-zagged down my face, dripping onto my desk.

"When?" I asked with a lump in my throat.

"Saturday night. Come to my home. _Alone_." He gave me the address which I jotted down on a post-it note.

"How can I trust that you will keep up your end of the bargain?"

"You'll find out before the end of business today." He said cryptically before hanging up. I jumped up from my desk and ran to the ladies room emptying the contents of my stomach into the toilet. How did I get here? Was this punishment from the universe for having sex with Edward?

I walked around the rest of the day like a zombie. I was moving and talking, but I was dead inside. Tyler stopped by my desk in the afternoon and dropped off a bag of pretzels and a bottle of ginger ale. I looked up at him, thoroughly confused.

"I've heard that salty foods and ginger ale help with the morning sickness." He whispered.

"Tyler, I'm _not_ pregnant." I said emphatically. He looked skeptical.

"Izzy…you've been forgetful, distracted, throwing up…what else could it be?"

"I have a lot on my mind. But a baby isn't one of those things. I do appreciate your thoughtfulness." I said, sincerely. He was a sweet guy.

"You can keep the ginger ale, but I'm taking the pretzels. I am starving." He said, snatching them off of my desk and opening the bag.

"You jerk." I said. My cell phone rang and Tyler waved and walked back around the corner, munching the pretzels.

"Hey Em. How are you?"

"Babe, you will not believe what happened! Human resources called me a few minutes ago and said that they mixed my file up with someone else's and it was all a big misunderstanding. They apologized profusely. I'm on my way into the office right now."

"That's great, Em!" I feigned enthusiasm. Aro moved swiftly, I had to give him that.

"Some stupid secretary almost fucked up my whole life. I hope she gets fired." He grumbled.

"Just be glad they discovered their mistake."

"I'm pulling into the garage now. I'll talk to you later, babe. Hey- I love you." He said.

"Love you, too."

~SD~

The next couple of days were kind of miserable. Okay, that was an understatement- during the day I felt like I was living an awful nightmare and at night I had actual nightmares, so I slept as little as possible. I could barely focus at work. I am sure I looked haggard and pale. Every time I thought about having sex with Aro, my stomach lurched and I had to run to the bathroom to vomit. The software from the project that Emmett was overseeing was finally launched and it was a success. Emmett was over the moon and it seemed to be a big accomplishment for the whole department.

On Thursday, Tyler came over to my desk excited about something.

"Izzy, the sexiest man I have ever seen is in the reception area asking for you."

"What does he look like?" I asked.

"He's gorgeous. Russet skin, huge muscles, at least six feet five…"

I rolled my eyes. "That's Jake. Rose's boyfriend." I explained. Tyler had met Rose and Alice on several occasions when they had come to my office to meet me for lunch.

"Tell that bitch I will fight her for him."

"She'll tear you to shreds." I snorted. I walked into the lobby and Jake grinned at me with his perfect white teeth and then lifted me up and hugged me, swinging me around.

"What the hell are you doing here?" I asked when he put me down.

"Someone called for a tow down the street so I thought I'd drop in on you. I'm hungry. Let's get a hot dog before I hitch this car." Rose and Jake worked in the same auto body shop. Jasper figured his younger sister would get sick of him after seeing him all day at work and then at night in the apartment that they shared, but that never happened. Jake knew that Rose needed a lot of space and he wasn't the clingy type anyway.

"Let me go grab my purse."

"No, I got you. Come on."

As we rode the elevator down, Jake looked me up and down.

"You're too skinny, Swan. You're getting two hot dogs."

"Only if you eat one of them."

We walked about a block until we found a hot dog cart that looked clean enough for me. Of course Jake didn't care; he would have eaten a hot dog that was rolling around in the dirt.

"Three hot dogs with relish and mustard." Jake said when it was his turn in line. "And a couple bags of plain chips."

We sat on a nearby stone bench and unwrapped our hot dogs.

"I think I want to propose to Rose." He announced unceremoniously. I couldn't help the smile that broke out on my face.

"Did you already buy a ring?"

"Yes."

"Did you bring it down here for me to look at?"

"Yes." He said, reaching into his pocket and pulling out a black velvet box. He handed it to me and watched me carefully as I opened it. It was perfect- a princess cut diamond framed by smaller diamonds on a delicate white gold band.

"Jake, it's beautiful. She'll love it. When are you going to do it?" I closed the box reverently and handed it back to Jake.

"This weekend, I think." He said, stuffing the box back into his jeans and biting his hot dog.

"Are you nervous?"

"Nah. Rose is it for me."

"Love seems to be so simple for some people, but it's so complicated for me." I admitted, opening my bag of chips.

"Relationships are complicated, but love isn't. You either do or you don't."

"What if you don't know?"

"Then you probably don't."

I spent the rest of the afternoon writing evaluations for the interns. Friday was their last day. Victoria wanted them all completed by the end of business so she could read and sign off on them. I had just hit send on the email to Victoria when my cell phone rang. It was Emmett.

"It's looking really good for me, babe. I just met with the board and they told me that they were looking to fill Felix's position in the next four weeks and that I was one of the people they were considering."

"That's great!" I responded weakly.

"My dad stopped by the job today. He's in the city for the day." Emmett's father was a prominent oncologist. He was partially retired, but he did consultations for his friends and had office hours once a week.

"That was nice of him." I said absently, looking at the time. I had to get out of the office in the next ten minutes if I was going to make it to spin class on time.

"He told me that Edward is leaving his firm and going to a firm in North Carolina. I told you he was lazy. Why would he leave a big New York firm to join a firm in North Carolina as an associate? I could see if it was a more prestigious firm but…"

"W-what? He's moving to North Carolina?" I felt like the rug had been pulled out from under me.

"Apparently so. Do you think you can meet me and Dad for dinner tonight?"

"Not tonight, I have spin class." He couldn't move, he just couldn't.

"Come on, Izzy. It's just one night." He started with his pleading but I cut him off.

"No, Emmett. No. I have to go. I'll talk to you later." I said and hung up. I grabbed all of my stuff and was on the elevator in thirty seconds. This was too much. With Aro and Emmett and now Edward was leaving. _Leaving_.

I made it through my apartment door before I completely broke down. I fell to my knees, crying until my throat was raw and the tears dried up. Then I crawled to my bed and cried some more. I heard my phone going off but I ignored it. An hour or so later I heard banging on my door which I also ignored. I looked over at my alarm clock. It was almost eleven at night. I heard a key in the lock and then Rose's voice calling my name but I didn't answer. The door swung open and she looked relieved to see me.

"She is here, Mrs. Santrini. Thanks for unlocking the door for me." Rose called over her shoulder and I heard the front door click shut.

"You scared the shit out of all of us. When you didn't show up for spin class, we were concerned. We called Emmett to see where you were and he told us you _were_ at spin class. We called your cell, your work phone, you didn't answer either. I banged on your door for a half hour before your neighbor told me she had the key and would open the door so I could check and see if you'd ever made it home. Are you okay?"

I shook my head.

"What's wrong?" she said, sitting down on the bed next to me.

"Everything!" I said, the tears starting again until I was hysterical. Rose hugged me and rocked me until I calmed down enough to talk. I poured my heart out and told her everything, about Edward, Emmett, Aro. She listened quietly until I finished.

"Izzy, I can't believe you've kept all of this stuff inside. No wonder you're so upset."

"I didn't want you to think I was a horrible person…"

"You are the sweetest person I know, but Izzy you always put everyone else first."

"No, I don't."

"Yes you do. Izzy, you can't fuck this Aro guy to help Emmett's career. That is absolute madness! Aro is crazy…what if you go to his house and he kills you! You have to tell Emmett that Aro is blackmailing you!" she screamed at me.

"But then Aro will end Emmett's career." I argued.

"He might set him back a bit but he can't end it. Emmett can always leave and go to another company."

"And then Emmett will resent me."

"God forbid King Emmett be inconvenienced." Rose's voice dripped with sarcasm. "You can always leave Emmett. Which brings us to Edward."

"Even if I broke up with Emmett, I can't start dating Edward."

"Why not?"

"How slutty is that? And Emmett would hate me forever!"

"So the fuck what?"

"What is it that you have against Emmett, Rose? You're always telling me that I'm settling and making little snide comments. What is your problem?" My voice was shrill with anger.

"He treats you like shit, Izzy!" she shouted, her own anger spilling over.

"He does not! He loves me! He wants to marry me, Rose!"

"And what kind of marriage would that be, Izzy? You waiting on him hand and foot until you keel over and die?"

"I do not wait on him hand and foot!"

"You were willing to sleep with his boss to help him keep his job. If that's not codependent, I don't know what is."

"What do you know about codependency? You're not a psychologist. You work in a fucking auto repair shop," I snapped, my voice filled with venom.

Rose regarded me coolly before she continued. "Attack me all you want. You know I'm right. He doesn't put anything into your relationship. He just takes and takes and takes. I can totally see why you would cheat on him. You weren't getting any of your needs met. You were vulnerable."

"But with his brother?"

"I'm not saying it was ideal, but he was there. He was willing to give you what you needed."

"And now Edward is moving away." I sobbed.

"Can you blame him? You pushed him away. So he went away. You made your choice. He has to move on."

"Emmett wants a future with me, Rose. I couldn't throw that away to take a chance with Edward."

"You're like a broken record. What would that future be like?"

"I don't know, but knowing we have one is comforting. Rose, I have no one. My mother died when I was eleven, my father died when I was twenty, I don't have any siblings. It's just me."

"How can you say that? You have me. You have Alice. You know Jasper and Jake love you like a little sister. You have a family. _We_ are your family. You don't have to go through all of this to be loved. _We_ love you." Rose said, tears sliding down her face. Her tears touched me profoundly; it was the first time I'd ever seen her cry.

"Izzy, put yourself first for once in your life." Rose pleaded one last time.

She took off her sneakers and pulled my comforter up over the both of us.

"So...how was the sex with Edward?" Rose wanted to know.

We giggled together until we fell asleep.


	11. Chapter 11

I walked into the office the next morning feeling lighter than I had for days. Apparently, the change was also noticeable from the outside.

"Izzy, that dress is to die for and those shoes are a sexy pop of color." Tyler commented as I walked by his desk. I was wearing a gray sleeveless sheath dress that stopped just above the knee and a pair of red heels.

"Thank you, Tyler." I smiled and leaned against his desk.

"That is the first genuine smile I've seen from you in a while." He observed.

"Yeah, you're probably right. I'm feeling a little better." I told him. I placed a Starbucks cup on his desk. "Grande caramel light frap, no whip…did I get it right?"

"Perfect. Thanks, Izzy." I knew that he understood it for what it was, a small gesture of appreciation for his concern while I was acting a little…psycho.

"No problem." I said. I went to my desk and got to work. I had really been unfocused that week so I had some catching up to do. We had a small party as a sendoff for the interns. I pulled Leah to the side while everyone else was chatting. She was a pretty girl with long black hair parted in the middle framing her perfectly tanned skin.

"So do you think this is something you would be interested in doing after graduation?" I asked her.

"I could really see myself doing this. Do you think I would be good at it?"

"I do. You are a wonderful writer, you take constructive criticism well, which is extremely important, and you are a team player." I handed her one of the business cards I rarely used.

"I wrote my cell phone number on the back. If after you graduate you are still interested, give me a call."

She grinned at me. "Thank you, Izzy. I really appreciate it."

By six, I was standing in front of Wings and Things, waiting for Emmett. We were at the end of August and the heat had backed off a bit, but it was still very humid. I was standing under the restaurant's awning, out of the sun, doing deep breathing exercises to relax. Rose was right, I needed to tell Emmett what was going on and let the chips fall where they may. If Aro really followed through with sabotaging Emmett's career then maybe Emmett could get a head start at looking for another job with a different company.

Emmett greeted me with his customary peck on the lips and we went into the restaurant together. Thank goodness we weren't seated in Lauren's section because I don't think I could deal with her questions about Edward. As soon as we both had beers in front of us and had ordered our meals, I inhaled, exhaled and started talking.

"Em, I have something that I need to tell you." I started. He motioned for me to continue.

"When were at Felix's retirement dinner, Aro propositioned me. He told me that if I slept with him then he would guarantee that you got the promotion, but if I didn't then he make sure you didn't."

"Huh?" Emmett's thick eyebrows were knitted together in confusion.

"Of course I said no and that's when he had you placed on leave and escorted out. When I agreed, he had HR call you and say that putting you on leave was a mistake. I don't want you to lose your promotion or the respect of your colleagues, but sleeping with Aro is out of the question. I was thinking that if Aro is hellbent on ruining you, then maybe you should leave that company and maybe…"

"Wait, wait, wait." He interrupted. "You mean to tell me that Aro is blackmailing you to get you to sleep with him?"

"Yes."

"I don't believe you." He said simply.

"What?" I cried, a little louder than I intended.

"I told you, Aro is a genius at business. What would he have to gain by doing this?"

"Emmett, what would I have to gain by lying about it?"

"Attention."

"Attention? What kind of sick person would make up a crazy story like this for attention?"

"I don't know. Maybe the kind of person who is scared that her boyfriend moving up in the company would take time away from her and was jealous."

"After all of this time, after all I've done for you, that's the kind of person you think I am?" I asked, incredulous.

"I didn't, but it seems strange to me that as soon as I am on the cusp of the biggest moment of my career, you come to me with this far-fetched story about an executive from my job that wants to fuck you. What, you want me to go beat him up so I can lose my job and then you can have me all to yourself?"

"You are, without a doubt, the most narcissistic person I have ever met in my life." I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

He chuckled. "You actually expected me to believe that he wanted to fuck you so badly that he would go through all of that? I've fucked you and trust me, it's not worth that."

"Fuck you, Emmett." I stood up, not caring that all of the customers in our section were staring. Tears sprung to my eyes as it hit home just how little he thought of me. I choked them back, not wanting to give him the satisfaction of seeing me cry. Never again would I let him have any part of me.

"I'm getting the promotion; if we're going to be together, you're going to have to get over your jealousy."

"You're delusional. And we're _not_ going to be together." I told him, gathering courage that I didn't know I had and saying what I should have said a long time ago. I grabbed my beer and poured the contents on his head, ignoring his shouts. It was childish, but boy did it feel _good_.


	12. Chapter 12

"He said what?" Alice said as we sat around my living room the next night eating bowls of ice cream. I told Alice about what happened with Aro and Emmett. I hadn't told her about Edward and Rose agreed that she wouldn't say anything until I told her. I wasn't ready to talk about it with Alice, not yet.

"I wish I could have been there to see you pour the beer on his head!" Rose squealed. I had spent most of the night before crying in my bed, but I was able to see the humor in what went down.

"I really thought that you and Emmett were going to get married." Alice lamented. "I can't believe he turned out to be such an asshole."

"Well, believe it." I said, licking strawberry ice cream from a spoon.

"I wonder if Emmett will get the promotion?" Alice pondered.

"Who cares if he does or if he doesn't? I'm just glad that Izzy put herself first and stood up to him. Whatever happens with his job now has nothing to do with Izzy." Rose said, grasping my hand, smiling.

"I think this time you should try internet dating. One of the sales associates at Eclipse met her husband online and they are madly in love." Alice mused, pouring more chocolate syrup into her bowl.

"Damn, Alice, she broke up with him _yesterday_. Just give it a rest already." Rose rolled her eyes.

"I know, but I don't want her wallowing in it. She needs to get back on the horse." Alice insisted.

"'She' is sitting right here and 'she' is definitely not jumping into anything right now." I told them both.

"Remember the night that you met Emmett?" Rose asked laughing. Alice, Rose and I had gone for a drink late one night at a chain restaurant near my apartment and he was there with some coworkers.

"How can I forget? He spent a half hour at the bar telling me about his "life plan." I should have run away then." I quipped.

"Yes, but you were mesmerized by his dimples." Alice giggled.

"Well, I am definitely not mesmerized anymore."

"Are you okay?" Alice asked, concern reflected in her hazel eyes . I sighed deeply.

"I _am_ okay. I am better than okay." I said. "I was holding onto that relationship for all of the wrong reasons. When I think back to what I almost did…" I choked back a sob.

"But you didn't." Rose said.

"And that's the most important thing." Alice added.

"Okay, enough with the sad shit. I'm turning on some music." I jumped up and went over to my iPod docking station and selected an upbeat playlist on my player. A loud, thumping beat flowed from the speakers and filled the apartment.

"Ohhhh I love this song!" Alice cried.

'We're up all night to get lucky…We're up all night to get lucky…" We sang along at the top of our lungs to Daft Punk.

"Wait, I think I heard someone buzz the door." I yelled. Rose and Alice just kept on singing.

"Yes?" I said into the phone. I strained to hear over the music and Alice and Rose's off-key wailing.

"It's Jake and Jasper." I buzzed the door and a minute later they were walking through the door with pizzas and beer.

"Yayyyy pizza! I'm starving!" Alice exclaimed.

"Starving? You were just eating ice cream five minutes ago." Rose reminded her.

The guys put the pizza and beer on the counter in the kitchen. I opened my cupboard and pulled out plates and cups.

"Hey Iz…I heard about you and Emmett." Jake said from behind me.

"Yeah…shit happens." I said, reaching for another glass.

"Hey…" he tapped me on the shoulder. I turned around and faced him.

"It's his loss." He said emphatically, looking me in the eyes.

"Thanks, Jake." He grabbed the plates from me and started walking toward the living room where everyone else was lounging on the sofas.

"Wait…" I called. "Are you gonna…?" I whispered, nodding my head toward Rose.

"Tonight? I don't know…" He scratched his head nervously.

"Do you have it?" I asked. He nodded.

"_Do it_."

"Okay, okay. Don't forget the napkins." He told me, bumping my shoulder.

We sat around the living room eating pizza and watching Family Guy reruns on Netflix. After about the sixth or seventh episode, Jake muted the television. Everyone looked at him in confusion. Well, everyone except me.

"I feel comfortable here among my closest friends, sharing with all of you a moment that will change my life forever." He got down on one knee in front of Rose, who was perched on the edge of the loveseat.

"Rosalie Hale, you have a smart mouth, you are stubborn as hell and you have no respect for authority. But you are the most loyal person I have ever met, you have a pure heart, a wicked sense of humor and you can rebuild an engine better than anyone I've ever met. You are my best friend, my lover, my everything. I could search all over the world and I know that I would never find a woman as perfect for me as you are. Will you marry me?"

"Yes, Jake…Yes!" She cried and he picked her up and spun her around. They kissed slowly, tears on both of their faces. He opened the velvet box and slid the ring onto her finger. They kissed again. Then she turned to Alice and I and the three of us screamed and hugged, jumping up and down like idiots. Jasper patted Jake on the back and shook his hand. We stood around chatting like that for a few minutes before Jake and Rose started making googly eyes at each other.

"I think I need to get my fiancée home. Like right now." Jake grinned, waggling his eyebrows suggestively.

"Dude, that's my sister. Gross." Jasper visibly shuddered.

"Wait, let's help Izzy clean up." Alice said. We put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher and threw away the used napkins, empty bottles and pizza boxes. Rose hopped on Jake's back for a piggyback ride as they walked out of the door.

"Wait, I'll walk down with you and put this in the dumpster." I said, grabbing the overflowing trash bag.

"Don't forget your keys." Alice and Rose sang out simultaneously.

"In my hand." I jiggled the keys in their faces.

We trotted down the steps together, talking loudly. They went out the front door, Rose almost hitting her head on the top of the frame as she wildly waved good-bye. I walked to the back door and jogged out to the dumpster, tossing the bag in. I felt a hand cover my mouth from behind and I let out a blood-curdling muffled scream.

"Isabella, it's not polite to stand someone up. I was waiting and waiting and you never showed up." Aro's sinister voice growled in my ear. I flailed my arms and legs, trying to get free of his tight grip.

"I told you that I was going to have you. Why do you constantly doubt me?" he murmured as he reached down to my waist and began to pull my leggings down. I kicked his knee and the blow caused him to loosen his grip. I broke free and ran toward the door but he recovered quickly, lunged and tackled me to the ground, my right arm breaking my fall. We struggled until he was on top of me, his knees on either side of my legs. I pushed against his heavy weight, cold fear coursing through my veins and my breath coming in gasps.

"I knew that you were going to be hot in bed. You seem to like it rough. I can give it to you rough." He gathered my hair with one rough hand and began to bang my head against the concrete, his other hand pulling and ripping my leggings. My hands were hitting his face, but they seemed to have no effect. I screamed over and over as everything around me began to get blurry. Then everything went black.


	13. Chapter 13

"Is she awake yet?" A man's voice I didn't recognize was speaking quietly.

"Not yet, Officer." Alice said, equally solemn. My head was pounding and I felt woozy. I struggled to open my eyes.

"Please give her my card when she is ready to talk. We need to know who did this…"

"A-A-Aro…" I barely croaked out.

"Oh my God, she's awake." Rose's voice was filled with relief.

"Miss Swan, can you say the name again? You knew your attacker?" The officer prompted me.

"Aro Miklos." I whispered. I opened my eyes and lifted my right arm to rub them but was met with excruciating pain.

"Honey, try not to move your arm. It's broken. Jasper, can you let the nurse know that she's awake?" Alice instructed her husband. He was sitting in the corner and he patted my leg affectionately before leaving to find a nurse.

"Aro Miklos…was he an ex-boyfriend? Someone you dated?" The police officer had his pen and pad at the ready. I shook my head and looked to Alice and Rose to fill in the blanks. My thoughts were still a bit muddled.

"He is a man who works with her ex-boyfriend. He was obsessed with her." Rose explained.

"Obsessed?" The officer asked.

"Yeah, he was blackmailing her; he said that if she didn't sleep with him, he would destroy her ex-boyfriend's career. He contacted her at her job, he sent her flowers." Rose continued.

"I guess when she didn't give him what he wanted…" Alice didn't go on. Tears streaked her cheeks.

"He became enraged and attacked her." The police officer finished. "What do you know about this Miklos guy?"

"Just that he works at Volturi Corporation." Rose said. The policeman wrote that down.

"Miss Swan, we're going to see if we can pick him up. You'll probably have to come in and identify him in a lineup. We'll contact you and let you know when we get him. In the meantime, get better, okay?" He had kind eyes and I found myself trusting him. I nodded and he left.

Rose and Alice both joined me on the bed, one on each side, and gently hugged me.

"We were so scared!" Alice cried.

"How did you find out what happened?" I asked.

"Miss Santrini saw you being lifted into the ambulance and called Alice." Rose told me. Thank goodness for my nosy neighbor.

"Did he…" I couldn't finish the sentence. My eyes filled with tears.

"No…no!" Rose said emphatically.

"A guy from the first floor heard you screaming and went out to the lot. He saw Aro on top of you and he yelled out and ran over to you. When Aro saw him, he ran away but you were unconscious. Your panties…" Alice swallowed hard before she continued. "Your panties were still on."

"They did an exam just to be sure. He definitely didn't. I can't believe that fucker!" Rose fumed, suddenly shifting to anger.

"We just assumed it was a stranger." Alice explained. "How do you feel?"

"My head is pounding and my arm aches but other than that, I just feel…out of it." I looked out of the small window to my left and saw that the sun was shining and the cerulean sky was crystal clear.

"What a fucked up way to spend a beautiful Sunday." I mused, half to myself.

"It's Monday." Alice said.

"I've been out of it for that long?"

"Yeah. They checked to make sure there was no brain injury and they told us you would wake up on your own."

Jasper came in then with a nurse. She was a tall Latino woman with her dark hair pulled back in a ponytail.

"Miss Swan, glad to see you're awake! Let me just check your vitals…" she said. She picked up my chart and started making notes.

"Come on, let's go down and get some coffee while the nurse checks her out." Jasper said to Rose and Alice.

"We'll be right back, Izzy." Alice promised. "Right back."

They left and the nurse continued to write, checking the machines I was hooked up to.

"How's that arm feeling? Sore?"

"Yes. Very."

"How about your head? I need to check the stitches…" she said. She snapped on a pair of gloves and pressed against my head.

"Stitches?"

"Yeah. You had to get twenty stitches. That sonofabitch really did a number to your head."

I reached up with my left hand and felt the strands hardened with dried blood. "So I can't wash my hair?"

"Not yet…"

"I feel so icky." I moaned.

"I'll cover your arm with some plastic and I'll help you into the shower. Do you think you can wash with your left hand?"

"Yeah. Can I use the bathroom, too?"

She laughed. "Sure."

She told me to call her Carmen. She helped me into the bathroom and I used the toilet. My body felt stiff but there wasn't any pain anywhere except my arm and head. Carmen turned the shower on for me and left me alone. Standing under the hot spray felt good; I realized just how incredibly lucky I was. I knew that Aro had every intention to rape and kill me. I could see it in his eyes- he was evil to the core.

Rose and Alice were back in my room when I exited the bathroom. They had gone to my apartment the previous day and got some of my things- my favorite pajamas, my cell phone, some books, my brush – to make me feel more comfortable. Alice had called my boss and let her know that I was in the hospital and wouldn't be in to the office.

"You guys are the best. Thank you so much." I sighed with gratitude.

"We know you would do the same for us." Alice said.

They sat with me all day, watching boring daytime television. Jasper was in and out, he was off for the summer from his job as a high school history teacher. Jake came around four in the afternoon with sandwiches for all of us.

"Jake, this is the best corned beef special I've ever eaten in my whole life." I told him with my mouth full of food. The hospital food was just gross and I had been starving all day. After we'd all eaten, I felt myself begin to doze.

"We'll let you sleep, Izzy. We'll be back tomorrow morning- the doctor said you can go home!" Alice exclaimed.

"Okay…g'night." I yawned before I drifted off.


	14. Chapter 14

I was running, but it was dark and I couldn't see where I was going. My legs were heavy, like they weighed a thousand pounds. I felt hot breath against the back of my neck and my skin prickled in fear. He was getting closer and closer and I couldn't get away. I felt a hand grasp my arm and I screamed.

"Izzy! Izzy!" I opened my eyes and saw Edward standing over me. He was like a bronze-haired angel appearing above me, his green eyes filled with worry.

"You were having a nightmare. It's just me." He said gently. I relaxed and my panicked heartbeat began to slow.

"Edward…" I said groggily. "How did you know I was here?"

"Rose." He explained. That damn Rose, I thought to myself. "She said that she got my number from your cell phone. She thought I would have wanted to know that you were in the hospital. I assume she knows about…"

I nodded. "I'm sorry. I know we agreed…"

"It doesn't matter, I'm glad she called me." He assured me.

"How long have you been here? God, I look a wreck." I muttered, feeling self-conscious. I absently fingered my limp locks.

"Izzy, you look fine. I've only been here a few minutes. I brought you these." He handed me a glass vase filled with yellow tulips.

"Thank you." I said, fingering the soft petals. "They are beautiful. Can you put them on the dresser, please?"

"Sure." He said, leaning over and placing them next to the flowers I'd received from my coworkers, while I maneuvered the bed so that I was sitting up. He sat down in the chair next to the bed.

"Can you talk about what happened? Rose didn't tell me anything except that you were in the hospital and that you were pretty banged up. I asked what happened and she was very cryptic."

"Edward…" I started and then I didn't say anything further. I just couldn't get the words out.

"It's okay if you don't want to talk about it." He soothed.

"No…I do." I took a deep breath and went on. "I went to a work function with Emmett a few weeks ago and an executive from his job, Aro, told me that he wanted to sleep with me and that if I slept with him then he would guarantee Emmett got the promotion. I said no and then he started stalking me, calling my job and sending me flowers…"

"_He's_ the one that sent the flowers." Edward murmured, understanding.

"I told him that I believed in Emmett and that he would get the promotion on his own merit. And then he found a way to put Emmett on leave, which of course freaked Emmett out…"

"So that's what that was about…" he said, his expression tense.

"So the next time he called, I told him that I would do it." I told him, tears of shame pricking my eyes. "I didn't want Emmett to lose his promotion because of me."

"Oh Izzy…" he said. He grabbed my hand and stroked it soothingly.

"But I couldn't do it, Edward. I couldn't disrespect myself that way. So I told Emmett what was going on and he said I was lying, that there is no way that anyone would go through all of that just to fuck me, that he'd fucked me and it wasn't worth all of that."

His stroking stopped and his eyes darkened with anger. "That stupid motherfucker…"

"I broke up with him, Edward. After that I realized that he didn't care about me. At all."

"Good."

"So I thought that it was all over. If Aro retaliated against Emmett, I would be out of the equation. But I guess he knew where I lived and when I didn't give him what he wanted, he attacked me outside of my apartment when I went to take the trash to the dumpster."

"Jesus, Izzy." He stood up and began to pace. "I'm going to fucking kill Emmett. I mean, there's self-absorbed and then there's just…fuck, I don't even know what to say. Did you tell the police?"

I nodded. He sat down next to me on the bed and gently tilted my chin up to look at him.

"Are you okay?" He asked, barely audibly.

"He didn't… a guy from my building scared him away before he could…" I whispered.

"Thank God." He breathed. "Are you in a lot of pain?"

"They have me hooked up to an IV with pain meds. They said I can go home tomorrow."

He leaned over and kissed my forehead, his lips lingering a few seconds.

"Edward… are you really moving to North Carolina?" I asked in a small voice. He leaned back a bit and sighed.

"Izzy, I couldn't watch you and Emmett together…I knew that I would never stop wanting you and pursuing you. I've had a crush on you since the first time Emmett introduced me to the beautiful girl with the brilliant mind, but I didn't realize it. I didn't realize that every girl I met, I was comparing to you. I didn't realize that I was more excited to see you than I was to see Emmett at our weekly dinners. I didn't realize how much I liked your smile and your laugh and I didn't realize how important you'd become to me until the first time we kissed. Then it all made sense."

"I felt it, too." I admitted.

"Yeah?"

"Yeah. And I think the feelings made the guilt worse because what I felt for you, even in a kiss, I'd never felt for Emmett."

"A friend from law school told me that they had an opening down in Charlotte at the firm he was with, so I interviewed and got the job." He explained.

"Oh." I said, looking down. I suppose a part of me had been hoping and praying that it wasn't true, but it was. Edward was starting a new life, hundreds of miles away from me.

"Izzy?" He prompted. I gazed up at him. "I don't want to go."

"I don't want you to go." I told him, a tear escaping my eye. I brushed it away.

"What _do_ you want?" He asked, his beautiful eyes fixed on my own. I could think of a thousand reasons to be a martyr, but I stopped myself. _Put yourself first for once, Isabella._

"I want to be with you."

~SD~

I was awakened again by hushed voices, but this time, Edward was one of them. I opened my eyes and Rose and Alice were sitting at the end of the bed next to my feet and Edward was sitting in the chair across from me. The police officer from yesterday was standing in front of the door. Everyone looked angry. I wanted to know what was going on, but I had a pressing need that demanded my immediate attention. I locked eyes with Alice and she picked up on my distress.

"Izzy's awake. Can you give us five minutes?" Alice said to the cop and to Edward. Edward kissed my cheek and then followed the officer into the hallway. I padded to the bathroom as quickly as I could, Alice on my heels.

"You know I have a lot of questions about why Emmett's brother was here when we got here at nine in the morning." She was saying. The door closed behind me but she kept talking as I relieved myself. Yes, Edward had spent the night in my hospital room. He'd slept in the chair; he didn't want to share the bed because of my broken arm.

Alice continued her rant. "Rose, on the other hand, didn't look confused about it at all. What the hell is going on, Izzy?"

"Alice, not right now, okay?" I heard Rose tell her. I flushed the toilet and washed my hands. I washed my face and brushed my teeth as well before exiting.

"What's going on?" I asked as I sat gingerly on the bed.

"We'll let Officer Uley tell you." Rose said. She leaned her head out of the door and Edward and Officer Uley came back into the room.

I looked at the cop and waited for him to start talking.

"Looks like you're feeling a little better, Miss Swan." He started.

"Izzy. Call me Izzy."

"Izzy." he repeated "We went to Volturi Corporation to bring Miklos in, but he'd never shown up for work. We went to his residence and it was vacated. We checked around and found out that he chartered a private jet out of Teterboro airport to the United Arab Emirates early Sunday morning."

"So, what does that mean?" I asked, my voice shrill.

"It means they can't arrest him." Edward told me, his face betraying his fury.

"We found a folder in his home office…he had an entire dossier devoted to you. Pictures, your work address, your boss's name, your resume, your home address, your phone numbers…he was…is…obsessed with you. You definitely can't go back to your apartment." Officer Uley cautioned.

"You can stay with me." Alice and Rose said at the same time.

"Izzy, I would really like it if you stayed with me. My building has a security guard and I have a home office that you can work out of until this fucker is caught." Edward piped in. Alice's eyes went huge and Rose was trying to hide a smile.

"A building with a security guard is your best bet. I don't know what kind of resources Miklos has and it's better to be safe than sorry." Officer Uley offered.

"You're sure you're okay with me staying with you?" I asked Edward. He nodded.

"So what's the plan? He's overseas. What do we do in the meantime?" I asked the officer.

"We wait until he makes a mistake. And you watch your ass."


	15. Chapter 15

I stood in the middle of my bedroom for a few minutes, unsure of how much to pack. I figured I should take a week's worth of clothes and if I needed more, I could come back. I was becoming fairly adept at performing tasks with my left hand, so I packed quickly. I went into the bathroom and filled a duffel bag of toiletries and cosmetics. To be honest, I was a bit apprehensive about staying with Edward. We could end up driving each other absolutely crazy. But I realized that I had to take my safety seriously; I had underestimated Aro before and I couldn't do that again.

I rolled my suitcase into the living room where Edward was waiting for me.

"Just the suitcase?" He asked.

"There's a duffel bag in the bathroom." He went down the hall and returned with the duffel bag. I took my laptop bag from the kitchen chair and hooked it over my good arm. After looking around the apartment one last time, I was ready to go. We walked out of the door and down the hall toward the stairwell

"Edward, I want to stop by Mrs. Santrini's and tell her thank you." He nodded.

"I'll go put your things in the car. Come down when you're done." Edward plucked my computer from my shoulder and went ahead down the stairs. I knocked on Mrs. Santrini's door and as soon as she opened it, she pulled me into a hug.

"Isabella, I was so scared!" She exclaimed tearfully when she pulled away. She looked down at my arm in a sling. "Poor baby."

"It could have been much worse." I told her. "Thank you for calling Alice. And thank you for always looking out for me."

"Did they catch the man who did this?"

I shook my head. "I can't stay here; I am staying with a friend. The man has been stalking me and the police are worried that he might come back."

"You're not staying with Emmett?" she asked, perceptive as always.

"We broke up."

She chuckled. "I try to stay out of your love life just like I try to stay out of my own granddaughters'. But I can't say that I am sorry to see him go."

"I realize now how unhealthy it was." I admitted.

"Lesson learned. Now you can open your heart to someone who is worthy of you and who can love you the way that you deserve to be loved." She smiled, patting my hand.

"I'd better be going." I told her after we chatted for a few more minutes.

"Wait!" she cried, walking to the kitchen and coming back with a Ziploc bag filled with her famous cookies. "For you."

"Thank you. For everything." After one last hug, I left and made my way outside to Edward's car. I didn't even know that Edward owned a car; we'd always traveled by subway or taxi. But he had a quite new silver Volvo S60. As soon as he spotted me, he jumped out of the car and opened the passenger door for me.

"Cookies?" Edward asked, once we were en route to his apartment.

"From Mrs. Santrini. You can have one. The rest are for me." I giggled, handing him a cookie. He popped it into his mouth.

"Damn, that is good." He waited until I was looking out the window and snatched the bag from me, grabbing a handful of cookies.

"You jerk!" I laughed, pulling the bag from his hand. A few minutes and cookies later, we pulled into the garage underneath his building. I had been to his apartment a couple of times in the past with Emmett; Edward lived on the eleventh floor. We rode the elevator up in silence. When he unlocked the door, I realized how close he was to actually moving. There were half packed boxes all over the living room and kitchen.

"Edward…" I started. He stopped me right away.

"I know what you're going to say. And don't worry about it. As soon as you're settled, I am going to make some phone calls. This is what I want. I want to stay in New York and be with you. Okay?"

"Okay."

He led me past the kitchen that looked barely used and a sparse living room with a humungous television and into his bedroom. In the middle of the room was a king sized platform bed with a black quilted leather headboard. There were two side tables and a six drawer dresser against the wall, also with black finish. The window beside the dresser was covered with winter white vertical blinds. Of course, there was also a huge plasma television anchored to the wall in front of the bed.

"Make yourself at home. Umm… there's a pull out sofa in my office…I can sleep there and you can have my bed."

"I don't want to you to have to sleep on a sofa bed in your own place. I can sleep there if you don't want to…umm…" Ugh, why was this so awkward.

"Izzy, are you okay with us sharing the bed? I didn't want to be presumptuous. I just want you to be comfortable." He said, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Yes, I'm okay with that." I smiled. And with that the awkwardness eased and we were just Izzy and Edward again. He showed me where I could put my things in the bedroom and bathroom, he showed me where the clean towels and washcloths were, he showed me the emptiness that was his refrigerator and I demanded that we go to the supermarket immediately. I sat down at the bar in the kitchen to make a shopping list and check my work emails while he went into his office to take care of some business.

Edward emerged an hour later, all smiles. He went to the fridge and got a bottle of water.

"They haven't given away this apartment yet, so when I told them that the new job in North Carolina 'fell through', they were okay with me staying. And I was able to negotiate and get 75% of my deposit back on the condo I was going to rent in Charlotte."

"Only 75%?" I asked sadly. I didn't want him to lose money.

"Better than the 50% they originally offered. The cost of living down there is cheaper, so it's not as bad as you think."

"What about your job?"

"I called the law firm in Charlotte and let them know that I wouldn't be taking the position. The managing partner was disappointed but not surprised. _Then_ I called my own firm." He sat down at the bar next to me.

"And?" I prompted him.

"_And_ I told them that I wouldn't be relocating to North Carolina but there _may_ be another firm in New York that was very interested in hiring me. And they offered me more money to stay with them. And I said that I would think about it. And then I called them back twenty minutes later and said yes."

"That's great!"

"Hell yeah it is. But I have to go into the office. Will you be okay here?" he asked.

"Sure. I have my own work to do." I said, gesturing to my open laptop.

"I'll be home around six and then we can go to the market. Okay?"

"Of course." I responded.

He leaned over and kissed my lips. Oh, how I had missed his kiss. I felt tingles all the way to my toes. He tasted tentatively with his tongue and I responded eagerly. My breathing quickened as I melted into the kiss and then he pulled away.

"I gotta go." He breathed. He pecked me once and was off.

We settled into a routine over the next couple of days. I made coffee and breakfast in the morning, nothing major, usually just bagels and cream cheese, and Edward went off to work. I stayed in the apartment and worked from Edward's office, thanks to my understanding boss. Edward came home between six and seven and I made dinner. After dinner we would watch television. We argued about what to watch- he hated the reality shows that were my guilty pleasure and I wasn't a fan of Parks and Recreation, but we compromised. I usually went to bed around eleven or twelve and he stayed up watching late night television and working on his computer.

He was so kind to me and appreciative whenever I cooked a meal or even buttered a piece of toast for him. He truly opened his home to me and what was his was mine. He always kissed me before he left for work and he cuddled with me while we slept. But he wouldn't really touch me. Anytime our kisses got intense he would pull away and his hands never wandered when we were in bed. It was all very chaste and I was starting to wonder whether he didn't find me attractive anymore, or maybe now that the challenge and the taboo wasn't there he'd become disinterested.

Edward crawled into bed Friday night close to two in the morning and I was still awake. He put his arm around me and pulled me close, his front against my back.

"Edward?"

"I didn't mean to wake you." He whispered.

"I wasn't asleep…Edward, I really appreciate everything you've done for me." I murmured. I didn't want him to think I was ungrateful.

"You know that your safety is very important to me. I don't mind at all, Izzy."

"How come you don't…why do you…" I paused. "Are you not interested in me in that way anymore?"

"What?" his voice sounded confused.

"When we kiss, you always pull away. You never… want…more." I sputtered.

"Izzy, I don't want you to feel like that's all I want. I know what that fucker tried to do to you and I figured that you wouldn't want to be intimate so soon." Edward never said Aro's name. Never.

"I know that you're not him. And I need you, Edward."

"You'll tell me if I do something that makes you uncomfortable, right?" He whispered against my ear.

"Yes. I promise. Just go slow."

He maneuvered so that he was hovering over me, leaning on his elbow. He kissed me, deeply, no longer holding back. He moaned into my mouth when our tongues touched. I threaded my fingers into his silky locks as our tongues danced together, perfectly in synch. His soft lips moved down, kissing my chin and jaw and then my neck, where he sucked softly, eliciting a soft moan from me. His hand unhurriedly slid under my tank top and caressed the skin on my stomach. He slowly moved up until his hand was on my breast.

"Is this okay?" he breathed against my neck.

"Yes…"

He stroked my breasts softly, so softly, before brushing his thumb across my nipple. His mouth followed and he sucked, applying light pressure before moving to the other nipple that was aching for his lips. His eyes were on me as I gave myself over to his ministrations. He gently peeled my tank top off, being careful of my right arm and he returned to my breasts, this time nibbling their peaks until I was gasping in pleasure.

"Can I take off your shorts?" he whispered.

"Uh huh…" I consented. He pulled back and slid my shorts down my legs and over my feet, tossing them to the floor. I laid there wearing just my panties and Edward cupped my mound over my panties, rubbing. It felt so good, desire lit my body aflame. He dipped his fingers under the waistband of my panties and touched me.

"Izzy, baby…so wet." He groaned. And I was. I was so ready, ready to be with him without the guilt and confusion from before. Ready to be with someone who cared for me and treated me with compassion and affection. He peeled my panties off and tossed them with my shorts. He removed his pajama pants and wife beater quickly and I saw the need that he had for me as well. He fumbled in his night table for a minute and then pulled out a condom. He rolled it on and looked down at me, lust in his hooded eyes.

"Emmett is the dumbest asshole ever. You are worth going to the ends of the earth for, baby. You're so beautiful and so fucking sexy." He turned me on my side so that I was leaning on my good arm and he got behind me. He kissed my neck while he entered me in that position. I heard a harsh gasp in my ear when he was all the way in. He began to move and I knew that I was going to come hard and quickly. It was a new position for me and his cock was stroking all of the right spots.

"Edward…yes…yes…right there." I moaned, my hand gripping the sheet.

"Mmmm…here, baby?" he crooned, hitting me where I needed it.

"Harder…" he held me around my waist and pushed into me with more force. He kissed the back of my neck as he whispered dirty things that I loved into my ear.

"Your pussy is so fucking good."

"I love being inside of you."

"You like it like that, Izzy?"

"Are you going to come all over my dick, baby?"

When he whispered that, I immediately fell over the edge, spasming around his hard cock as I came.

"Yes, baby. I love it when you come." He groaned. He held my top leg up and pounded into me deeper and let himself go. His rhythm faltered and then he fell too, murmuring my name.

"So good." He whispered as he tossed the condom into the wastepaper basket by the bed. He kissed my shoulder, my back, anywhere his lips could touch. I fell into a peaceful sleep for the first time in weeks.

~SD~

I was awakened the next morning by soft touches in naughty places. He spread my legs and pushed into me; we slowly climbed to ecstasy and quietly shattered in each other's arms. We went back to sleep and didn't wake up again until after eleven in the morning. I sat up and covered my body with his royal blue sheet.

"Want some breakfast?" I asked, yawning.

"Yeah, I want you for breakfast." He responded, lying flat on his back with his head resting on his hand. His hair was all over the place and he looked so sexy and masculine. His voice was still raspy with sleep. He tugged on the sheet until it fell away, revealing my bare breasts. His mouth descended, licking and sucking. Suddenly we heard an insistent knocking on his apartment door.

"Who could that be on a Saturday morning?" I asked.

"I don't know and I don't fucking care." He growled, pulling the sheet from my lower half.

"Ed…Ed…open up!"

We locked eyes as we both immediately recognized the voice.

Emmett.


	16. Chapter 16

Funny, we'd never discussed exactly how we would tell Emmett that we were together. Should Edward tell him brother to brother? Should _I_ tell him? Should we tell him together in a neutral place? Suddenly, I was wishing that we had planned. In specific detail.

"Put some clothes on, Izzy. I'm going to talk to him." Edward said as he tugged his discarded pajama pants and t-shirt on.

"Wait. Should I come out there with you? We can tell him together." I suggested as I carefully pulled my tank top over my head. I stood up and grabbed my shorts. I could still hear Emmett in the hallway, banging on the door.

"I'll talk to him first." He kissed me and walked out of the bedroom, leaving the door open.

I heard Edward unlock the door. "Ed, what took you so long to answer the door?" Emmett boomed.

"What are you doing here on a Saturday morning?" Edward demanded.

"I need some legal advice."

"Unless it has something to do with your taxes or your estate, I probably can't help much."

"But you know people, man."

"Sit down, Emmett. Your pacing is making me dizzy."

"All this week, people have been looking at me and whispering and I didn't know why. I assumed that they heard about me possibly getting the vice president position."

"Okay…"

"So Caius, my boss, pulls me aside last night and tells me that Aro Miklos, an executive from my job, is being investigated for attempted rape and assault. Hell, he hadn't been to work all week- I just assumed he was on a business trip. So I asked Caius what that had to do with me and he said that the victim was an Isabella Swan."

"Okay…" Edward was keeping his voice neutral.

"Izzy had come to me and told me that Aro was blackmailing her and wanted to sleep with her, but I didn't believe her. I mean- come on. She's cute but she's not fucking Giselle. So I started thinking- since she did tell me, am I culpable in any way? Legally? I mean I didn't…"

"Are you fucking kidding me?" Edward interrupted him. "You came over to here to ask me about your legal standing? Do you care at all about how Izzy is doing? You know, the girl who you were with for almost a year?" Edward exploded.

"We're not together anymore, Ed."

"So? That means you don't give a fuck? Even though when she told you what was going on, you _were_ together and you still didn't give a fuck!"

"I just thought she was just being dramatic…"

"Well she wasn't! And this stupid motherfucker that _you_ work with stalked her and waited outside of her apartment until she was alone and tried to rape her. The only reason he wasn't able to was because a neighbor stopped him! And all you care about is yourself!"

"Ed, stop trying to make me feel guilty. That shit is _not_ my fault!" He paused. "Wait, how do you know exactly how it happened? You talked to her?"

"She's here."

"She's here? Are you serious right now? You're fucking her?" Emmett's voice went up an octave.

"No, I'm not _fucking_ her. I'm _with_ her. We're together."

There was a long pause and then Emmett chuckled. "You just want to be me so badly."

"What?" Edward cried incredulously.

"You want to be me so badly that you're willing to take my sloppy seconds…" I heard a loud crash then. I ran into the living room and saw Edward on top of Emmett, throwing punches, landing one right on Emmett's nose and another on his left eye. The beautiful crystal lamp that had been on the table next to the sofa was shattered in pieces on the floor. Emmett had Edward by about forty pounds though and he was able to throw Edward off and land a couple punches right to Edward's gut. Edward recoiled but recovered quickly, tackling Emmett and knocking him back. They both fell on top of the coffee table, which broke under their combined weight.

"Stop! Stop!" I cried.

Edward looked at me and yelled, "Stay over there, Izzy!" Emmett never even glanced my way and used Edward's distraction to his advantage, hitting Edward in the mouth with a jab. Edward wrapped his hands around Emmett's neck and squeezed.

"Edward! No! He's not worth it!" I screamed.

Edward released Emmett's neck and pushed him off of him. Emmett was gasping for breath and his nose was clearly broken. Edward was bleeding from his lip. They both struggled to stand.

"Get the fuck out of my house." Edward's voice was deadly calm.

"Whatever, dude. You'll see. She's not worth all this…"

"Get out!" Edward bellowed.

Emmett finally looked at me. "Fucking slut."

Edward punched him in the mouth so hard that I heard the crunch of bone on bone. He gripped Emmett by the shirt and literally threw him out of the door before slamming it shut.

"Fuck." Edward muttered.


	17. Chapter 17

We silently swept up the remains of the crystal lamp from the hardwood floor. The word slut echoed through my head as I worked. I went into the kitchen while he dealt with the broken pieces of his coffee table. I moistened a paper towel and returned to him, delicately wiping at the drying blood on his lip and chin. Slut. Slut. Slut. Edward's green eyes were pensive as he looked down at me.

"Um, Edward…maybe I should go stay with Alice and Jasper…" I said, purposely not meeting his eyes.

"What? Why?" He asked, pulling away from my hand.

"I don't want to come between you and Emmett…"

"What did you think was going to happen? You thought he was going to throw us a party? Were you expecting him to offer his congratulations?"

"I don't know what I was expecting…" I admitted quietly.

"Damn it, Izzy…" he mumbled, running his hands through his messy locks.

"He called me a slut, Edward…I…"

"Fuck, Izzy! That asshole came here after he found out you'd been attacked to ask about his legal position! He was worried about protecting his ass! Why the _fuck_ do you care what he thinks?" He roared, his eyes blazing with anger. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

"Izzy, I'm sorry for yelling." He said with a frustrated sigh, reaching out to me. I stepped back.

"I'm going to pack up my stuff and get a taxi." I told him. I turned and started toward his bedroom.

"Wait, Izzy. What are you saying?" he inquired. I knew what he was asking, but I didn't have an answer for him.

"I don't know…" was my paltry response. His cell phone began to ring and I used that distraction as my escape. I called Alice to make sure she was home.

"Izzy?"

"Hey Alice. Are you home? Is it okay if I come and stay with you guys for a while?" I asked, sitting on the messy, unmade bed. I tried not to think about the fact that just a few hours earlier, he had made me feel like the most desired woman on the planet.

"Sure, hon. No problem. Is everything okay?"

"I'll talk to you when I get there. I should be there in about an hour." I said quickly.

"Okay…" I knew that Alice was going to bombard me with questions as soon as I walked into the door. I still hadn't told her about sleeping with Edward while I was still with Emmett. I hung up with Alice and began to pack my things. I could hear the rise and fall of Edward's angry voice through the door. I tried not to listen, but I heard him say 'Dad' a couple times, so I knew that he was talking to Dr. Cullen and from his tone I could tell it wasn't a pleasant conversation.

I wheeled my suitcase into the hallway with my duffel back slung over my good arm, trying to slip out quietly- but no such luck.

"Dad, I have to talk to you about this later." He said into his cell phone, as he peered at me from the kitchen bar, holding his hand up silently to stop me from walking out of the door. He listened for a few seconds, said okay and then disconnected the call.

"Izzy, I don't feel comfortable with you getting a taxi alone." He walked over and stood a few feet in front of me with his arms crossed.

"I'm just going straight to Alice's…" I explained.

"I'll drive you. I just want you to be safe."

I nodded in acquiescence, unable to pull a valid argument quickly enough from my muddled brain.

"Let me just put on some clothes." He said before disappearing into his bedroom. He was out a minute later, dressed in jeans, a T-shirt and Converse sneakers. His hair was still in its usual disarray and I wanted to tease him about it and then bury my hands in it and kiss him senseless, but I didn't. We walked to his car in silence.

The ride to Alice's took forever, of course. It was a beautiful Saturday afternoon at the end of August- traffic was horrific. But being in the car with Edward, not speaking to him, and lost in my own confusing thoughts made it exquisite torture. Edward didn't even glance at me, but stared straight ahead, occasionally humming along with songs that played from his iPod through the car's speakers. I called Alice when we got close to her apartment so that she could meet me out in front of her building. She was standing on the sidewalk when we turned onto her street and Edward stopped the car in front of her.

"Thanks." I said uncertainly, not sure of what else to say as I opened the car door.

"Yup." He opened his door and walked to the trunk, pulling out my suitcase and bags. Alice rushed over to help. After an awkward good-bye, Edward pulled off, leaving Alice and I on the sidewalk.

"What the hell happened?" Alice asked as we walked into her building. "A few days ago he was spending the night in your hospital room and telling us that his apartment building was the safest place for you, today he dropped you off and peeled off, barely saying goodbye. Fill me in!"

"Alice, I'll tell you, but no judgment, okay?" I said while Alice opened her apartment door. Alice and Jasper's apartment was full of light and color; there were funky paintings on the walls and psychedelic throw pillows on the chairs and sofas. Her artistry shined throughout every room.

"No judgment." She agreed as she rolled my suitcase into their second bedroom. They mostly used it for storage, but there was a futon and television in there as well. "Let's sit down in the living room. Are you hungry?"

I nodded, realizing that I had never gotten around to eating breakfast. Alice made sandwiches and I told her my sordid tale. True to her word, she was quiet and didn't make a single judgmental comment. Until the very end.

"So after all of that, you decided that _today_ was a good time to worry about the dynamic of their relationship."

"Alice!"

"What?" she cried, her eyes wide. "I'm not being judgmental. I'm just saying he went to bat for you, got into a physical altercation with his only brother and _then_ you decide to walk away."

"It's better this way."

Alice snorted. She made a motion of zipping her lip and picked up our empty plates.

"Let's go shopping!" she exclaimed, shifting gears quickly. Alice was nothing if not consistent. Shopping was always her cure-all for everything. I rolled my eyes to the ceiling and then couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

~SD~

Monday morning I was sitting at Alice and Jasper's kitchen table with my laptop working on a grant project. Alice was at work and Jasper was still in bed, trying to bank as much rest as he could before school began. My cell phone rang noisily in the still room, startling me and breaking my intense focus.

"Hello?" I answered.

"Hey, Iz! I miss seeing your face here in the office." Tyler's exuberant voice met my ears and I couldn't help but smile.

"I miss you, too." I admitted. Tyler knew that I had been attacked by someone who had been stalking me, but I hadn't shared the details with him about who the attacker was or what specifically had happened during the attack.

"I bet you don't miss your sour-faced boss…" he whispered conspiratorially. I laughed out loud. Tyler hated Victoria; he thought she was too grim and demanding. He often said she needed a good dick to fuck a smile onto her face. Yeah, Tyler was a piece of work.

"Are you still mad because she told you that personal calls are limited to your lunch break?"

"Yes, I'm still mad! I can multitask! Stupid bitch…" he mumbled.

"Well, I'm glad to see that nothing has changed since I've been gone."

"Izzy, I called to tell you something." He said, his tone becoming more serious.

"What?" I asked, panicked. Had I missed an assignment for work?

"A bouquet of roses came for you a little while ago. I signed for them."

"Where are they now?" I asked, my heartbeat quickening.

"Right here on my desk."

"Is there a card attached?"

"Yes."

"Open it." I demanded. I heard paper tearing and then Tyler gasped.

"What does it say?" I asked with a shaky voice.

"It says 'I'm not finished with you yet. I will see you soon. P.S. Next time, I won't be gentle.'"

"Oh, God!" I cried, my hands trembling.

"Izzy…the roses are black."


	18. Chapter 18

"God, this is so nerve wracking." I groaned as I flipped through a two year old Highlights magazine.

"Why the hell are you reading that?" Rose hissed at me from the chair next to me in the bland waiting room.

"I don't know…it was on the table…remember this? Goofus and Gallant?" I asked her, pointing at the cartoon strip.

"Yeah. Goofus was kind of hot…"

"Only you would think that…"

"Put that magazine down and pick up something age appropriate!" Rose whispered out of the corner of her mouth. I sighed and traded the Highlights magazine for Cosmo.

"It feels weird being here." I told her as I absently paged through the thick, glossy book.

"It can't hurt to talk to someone about everything that has been going on." Rose said quietly. After Tyler told me about the bouquet from Aro, I immediately called Officer Uley, who I discovered was actually Detective Uley. The police contacted the flower company and attempted to track down Aro, but they only found dead ends. Aro had covered his tracks thoroughly. They couldn't even ascertain if he was still overseas or if he was in the United States. Detective Uley kindly suggested that I see a professional to help me deal emotionally with the situation and gave me a list of counselors and social workers in the area. I'd balked at first but made an appointment after my third sleepless night in a row.

"Isabella Swan?" the receptionist called. I stood up and walked to the front desk.

"You can go on back. The first door on the left." She instructed, smiling reassuringly. I walked down the short hallway and stood in front of the open door. Just stood there. Like an idiot.

"Isabella? Come on in!" A friendly voice called. I walked in and saw a pretty woman sitting casually in an overstuffed arm chair. She had long light brown hair, stylish glasses and a toothy smile; she appeared to be in her mid-thirties. She crossed the room swiftly and shook my hand.

"Nice to meet you, Dr. Weber." I choked out nervously. I had never been to a therapist before, not even after my parents died.

"Oh please, call me Angela. Sit." She said, pointing to the camel colored leather sofa against the wall. "Get comfy."

I sat gingerly on the edge of the couch. The entire room seemed to be decorated in neutral tones- browns, tans and creams. There were a couple of large framed diplomas bearing her name on the wood paneled wall of the small office.

"I see your arm is in a sling. What happened?" she asked curiously as she returned to her arm chair.

"Um…I was attacked a couple weeks ago." I mumbled.

"I'm so sorry that happened to you. Can you tell me what went down?" She crossed her legs and looked at me.

I went through the whole thing quickly, describing the stalking and the attack and the most recent threat.

"Wow, Isabella. That's quite a load."

"Izzy."

"Izzy." She said, smiling. "Any nightmares? Anxiety attacks?"

I shook my head. "I just haven't been able to sleep."

"I can totally understand that. How are you feeling?"

"Scared. Out of control." I admitted, words that I had never spoken aloud falling from my lips.

"That makes complete sense. In a situation like this, it's important to have a good support system to lean on. Are you close with your family?"

I shook my head. "Both of my parents are dead. No siblings."

"Oh, Izzy, I'm so sorry. Do you have close friends?"

"Yes. I am staying with my friends now. They have been so great. I feel so terrible imposing on them." I leaned back on the couch.

"Really? Why?" She asked, her brows knitted together in confusion.

"I mean, I am interrupting their lives for an indefinite amount of time…"

"You hate being a bother?"

"Definitely."

"But if the tables were turned, would you do the same for them?"

"No question."

"So why do you feel bad? This is what friends do for each other."

"It's uncomfortable…for me…to…" I couldn't finish my thought.

She looked at me closely. "Tell me about your parents."

"My mom died when I was eleven of cancer."

"Were your parents still together when she died?" I nodded.

"So when she died it was just you and your father?" I nodded again.

"What did he do for a living?"

"He was the chief of police in our town."

"So he worked crazy shifts, always on call... Did you stay with another relative or family friend while he was working?"

"No, I was pretty responsible and we lived in a small town. I learned how to cook and wash clothes and clean the house."

"So you did all of those things from the age of eleven for yourself and for your father?"

"Yeah."

"And you kept your grades up?"

"Yeah, graduated with a 4.0 and got a scholarship to NYU."

"So wait, tell me about the guy you are dating. Doesn't he work with the man who is stalking you?" She asked, switching topics suddenly.

"We're not together anymore."

"Does he know what happened?" I nodded.

"Has he reached out to you?"

"He hates me." I explained, hot tears of shame pricking my eyes.

"Why does he hate you?" she said, looking surprised.

"I…um…I slept with his brother. But then I felt guilty for betraying him and I ended it with his brother. But we ended up breaking up anyway. And Edward came to me while I was in the hospital after the attack and I told him that I wanted to be with him…" the words came out in a rush, all jumbled together.

"Edward is the brother?" Angela clarified.

"Yes. So when I got out of the hospital, I was staying with Edward. And then Emmett came by…"

"Emmett is your ex-boyfriend? The one who works with your stalker?"

"Yes. And Edward told him that we were together and they got into a big fight."

"Emmett wanted you back?" she asked.

"No, Emmett told Edward that I wasn't worth it. And he's right. So I left Edward's and went to stay with my friends."

"So how did Edward feel about you leaving? It seems he put a lot on the line for you…"

"I don't know how he feels." I said slowly, realizing that I'd never asked him.

She paused for a few long seconds. "You seem to be a very responsible woman. You've been taking care of yourself, not to mention your father, since you were eleven. You moved to New York for college and have a career that you enjoy and are successful. You don't strike me as an impulsive person. Why do you think you slept with Edward?"

"I don't know…I…I..I was lonely." I sputtered.

"If you were lonely in your relationship, why didn't you break up with Emmett?"

"I guess I felt like it didn't matter how I felt. Emmett was committed to the relationship and I didn't want to be alone."

"Even though you weren't alone, you still felt lonely, Izzy." Angela scooted to the edge of her chair. "Here's your assignment. When you feel an emotion, I want you to express how you feel to someone. When you are feeling scared, tell one of your girlfriends. When you are feeling out of control, let someone know. When you are feeling sad or lonely or frustrated, share it. At first it's going to feel awkward, but you can't keep things bottled up until they boil over because that's when complications arise. And also, you need to start working on believing that you _are_ worth it. You don't always have to be the caretaker." She looked at me pointedly.

"I'll try." I said quietly. She stood up and I followed suit.

"Same time next week?" She asked brightly. I nodded. We said good-bye and I walked back to the waiting room in a daze. So many emotions were churning inside of me, things that had been buried deep for a long time had come to the surface during our session.

"How'd it go?" Rose inquired, throwing her magazine on the stack, her blue eyes trying to read my expression.

"I need to talk to Edward."


	19. Chapter 19

An hour later I was sitting on the futon in Alice's and Jasper's guest room. I held my cell phone in my hand, planning carefully what I was going to say to Edward. After he'd dropped me off the previous Sunday, he hadn't called or texted me at all, not that I blamed him. I took a deep breath and decided to just speak from my heart. Said heart began to speed in anticipation of the conversation.

"Hello?" he answered after the third ring. His voice sounded neutral, neither angry nor happy. It was professional, distant.

"Hi." I said.

"Izzy."

"Edward, I'm so sorry for how I've been acting." I apologized, getting straight to the point quickly. "I just feel so many things all at once and I haven't been dealing with it very well."

"Are you still in love with him?" he asked quietly. That was a question I certainly was not expecting.

"What?" I cried, astonished.

"Is that why you left? Because you're still in love with him?"

"No. Edward, I don't think I was ever in love with him."

"So why do you care so much what he thinks?" he inquired, emotion creeping into his voice.

"I think because he echoed what I was feeling about myself. Edward, I was never the type of girl to make waves. I was quiet all through high school and college. I've only had three boyfriends in my whole life. I was the good girl, not the kind of girl…"I didn't finish the sentence

"Not the kind of girl who sleeps with her boyfriend's brother." Edward finished it for me.

"Right. And you've been so great and I just don't deserve…"

Edward interrupted me. "Izzy, do you think I don't know what kind of woman you are? I know that you're not the kind of person who just goes around fucking a bunch of dudes, desperate for attention." He sighed deeply.

"I know that the way we started this thing was fucked up. Both us made mistakes. In a perfect world, I would have met you first. But we can't go back and change what happened. And to be perfectly honest, I am tired of chasing after you." He told me. A lone tear escaped my eye. It hurt to hear him say that, but I understood.

"Eddie, I thought we were going out tonight." I heard a singsong voice whine in the background. A female voice. The tears began to fall quickly. It was Friday night; of course he had a date. He was intelligent, charming, sexy…I wiped my eyes and straightened my spine.

"Edward…" I started.

"Hang on, Izzy." He told me. "Katie, can you wait a minute, please? It's like you're still six years old!" he yelled.

"I'm telling Uncle Carlisle that you screamed at me!" She yelled back.

"Go watch TV or something." He said. I heard a loud sigh and then a door slamming.

"Sorry about that. My little cousin Kate and her bff Irina are staying with me for the weekend before they go back to college."

"Oh really?" I said, trying to keep the relief out of my voice. "Where do they go to school?"

"UConn. 3rd year."

"Very good school. Well, I don't want to keep you from your plans for the night…"

"They have only been here an hour and they are already driving me bananas. And I want to finish this conversation with you. Do you want to come with us? We're just going to grab some food. They want to go to Times Square."

"I haven't been there in forever." I admitted.

"So you'll come?"

"Yeah." I said, happy for the chance to see him again.

~SD~

Hanging out with Kate and Irina brought back memories of when I'd first come to New York ten years earlier. I had been fascinated by all of the lights and the glamour and the people and the ethnic foods; now it was just a backdrop and I barely paid attention to it anymore. Being with them was like seeing everything for the first time all over again. Edward and I walked behind the girls as they squealed over the sights and sounds of the city. They were both pretty, blonde and petite, Kate with warm brown eyes and Irina with cornflower blue ones. Kate was very outgoing and bubbly, while Irina was quieter and more subdued. She was happy to let Kate take the lead, but she had a biting wit that had us all laughing hysterically.

"Is that Jay-Z?" Kate asked, pointing at a tall black man in sunglasses across the street from us.

"I really doubt it." Edward said, chuckling. "I don't think that he would be going to eat at the Hard Rock Café."

"Ooooh Eddie, can we go in this store?" Kate pointed at a little boutique.

"Knock yourselves out, we'll wait out here. Unless you want to go in, too?" he asked, looking at me. I shook my head no. They walked into the store, giggling and excited.

"Thanks for coming with us. All that squealing and the endless selfies would have possibly made me step in front of a subway train." He told me. We stood on the sidewalk, out of the way of the heavy foot traffic. There was a gentle, warm breeze blowing between the buildings and the portion of the midnight blue sky that I was able to see above the skyline was dotted with brilliant stars.

"I'm having fun." I smiled.

"So…" he started.

"So…" I repeated. We both chuckled awkwardly.

"How's your arm?"

"No more pain. I'm sick of this brace though."

"My dad said it's a good thing it wasn't an open fracture. That would have required surgery."

"So you've told him…about…us?"

"Well, Emmett told him first, yelling about how I broke his nose."

"Was your dad angry?"

"Yes. He lectured me about family and loyalty. I felt like I was fourteen years old again." He admitted, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"I'm sorry."

"I shouldn't have let him get to me like that. Emmett has always had a way of getting under my skin with his condescending remarks, always goading me to try to keep up with him and his accomplishments. Everything from cub scouts to baseball to academics. I've intentionally tried to create a life very separate from him since I went away to college and for him to say that I was trying to be like him by taking what he had…" he shook his head in disgust.

"You didn't take me from Emmett- I came to you. Willingly."

"So is this still where you want to be? Willingly?" His emerald eyes penetrated as he waited for my response.

"Yes."

"No more running?"

"No more running. And I will talk to you about how I am feeling."

"How are you feeling right now?" he whispered, wrapping his long arms around my waist and pulling me close.

"You make me feel safe. And cared about. And you listen to me. You're so smart and fun. You're everything. You…" I couldn't finish my sentence because his lips covered mine in a hot kiss.

"I am tweeting this pic." I head Kate's voice next to me and we hastily pulled away from each other. I could feel my face flush in embarrassment.

"No, you're not. Delete it. Right now." Edward demanded.

"Why? It's so cute and romantic. You and Izzy kissing passionately in Times Square at midnight. Look!" she cried, thrusting out her phone. We both looked down at the picture on the screen of her iPhone. She was right, it _was_ cute. It was actually… sexy.

"Don't tweet it, but can you send it me?" Edward asked as he studied the image, a subtle grin on his lips. He liked the picture, too. She pressed a few buttons.

"Done." She said. "Oh, look Irina! There's a tattoo shop. We should get tattoos!" Kate exclaimed, grabbing Irina's arm and pulling her down the street.

"Oh hell no!" Edward shouted after them.

~SD~

"You're so handsome." I whispered to Edward in the darkened room, gently tracing his scruffy jaw with my finger.

"_You_ are so gorgeous. You don't even know just how gorgeous you are." He breathed. He leaned in and kissed my forehead, almost reverently. I was lying in his arms, as I had been all night. I'd went back to his apartment with him, Irina and Kate and we'd holed ourselves up in his bedroom, just talking and kissing, until we couldn't keep our eyes open anymore. We'd talked about our guilt; I told him that I realized that I had a hard time letting someone be there for me and how it made me want to push him away. He admitted to me that he had always felt inferior and insecure in Emmett's shadow, which shocked me. Edward was so much more than Emmett could ever be. When we ran out of words, we just made out. It was one of the best nights of my life.

"What time is it? Should we get up?" I asked.

"It's ten thirty and no, we shouldn't get up."

"I'm hungry. I'm getting up." I told him as I pulled the covers back. I was wearing a gray Under Armor t-shirt that he'd given me the night before.

"Fuck, I love you wearing my shirt. Come back to bed." He groaned sexily. Just his words made hot desire unfurl through my body. But Irina and Kate were in the apartment. Damn them.

"I'll make pancakes." I sang, attempting to push my carnal needs to the back of my mind.

He rolled his eyes. "It's not what I want but it will have to do. Wait- I don't have any milk." He remembered, standing up from the bed and stretching his long, lean body. He was wearing a pair of basketball shorts, his toned chest bare.

"Do you have eggs?" I asked. He shook his head.

"So I guess we can have toast and jelly?" I suggested, wrinkling my nose.

"Let's walk to the store and get milk and eggs. It's only a block away." He suggested.

"I don't have any clean clothes." The tank top and denim shorts I had worn the previous night were folded up on the top of his dresser.

"Just wear my shirt with your shorts. Roll up the sleeves a bit."

"Ah, the infamous 'walk of shame' look." I giggled.

"Except there was no sex." He pointed out as he pulled on a clean black t-shirt.

"Yeah…"I sighed.

"It was still an amazing night, baby." He whispered, kissing my lips lightly.

I went into the bathroom and straightened myself up a bit, pulling my hair into a neat ponytail and brushing my teeth. I went to the kitchen and surveyed the fridge and the cabinets while he took care of business. We needed to buy not only milk and eggs, but butter as well. After leaving a note for the two sleeping beauties, we took the elevator down to the lobby.

"Good morning, Mr. Cullen, Miss Swan." Seth called from the front desk as we walked toward the door. He was a cute guy, about twenty one or twenty two years old, tall and slim with a kind demeanor. He knew all of the tenants in the building by name and made it a point to speak to them all.

"Hi, Seth." We both called out, waving.

"Uh, Mr. Cullen, a package came for you this morning. I have it behind the desk."

I looked at him and he shrugged. "Maybe it's some documents from work that I need to look at immediately." He guessed. We were both surprised when the package Seth gave to him wasn't an envelope, but instead a fairly large box with no return address.

"Seth, do you have a letter opener or scissors so I can cut through this packing tape?"

"Sure." Seth said, handing him a silver letter opener. I stood next to Edward as he opened the box. There was a single piece of paper with typed words in large font.

_**She's mine motherfucker. You can't protect her forever.**_

Edward ripped the sheet of paper out of the box, balling it up and cursing furiously, causing Seth to look at us in shock and confusion.

Underneath the paper was the severed head of a cat.


	20. Chapter 20

Hours later, I was sitting on Edward's sofa, watching the activity swirl around me. His apartment was packed- uniformed cops, detectives, the building's security- and I had kind of retreated into myself. Edward had convinced Kate and Irina to spend the rest of Labor Day weekend lounging around the pool at his parents' house in New Jersey. He didn't want to alarm them so he gave them very little information, blaming the commotion on a work issue. They both hugged me before they left; I smiled and kept the conversation light.

"It's about time Eddie got a girlfriend." Kate said as she slung her overnight bag over her shoulder.

"I'm sure Edward has had many girlfriends." I quipped. I mean, come on.

"Maybe…but he never looked at any of them the way he looks at you." She responded, smiling slyly.

After they left, we went to the security office to look at the footage of the lobby at the time the package was dropped off. It took several minutes for the video to cue up.

"There he is, right there!" Seth exclaimed, pointing at the screen. The courier was a young guy, no more than sixteen, in a baseball cap, jeans, t-shirt and converse sneakers.

"Do either of you know this guy? Do you recognize him at all?" Detective Uley asked as we watched the teen enter the front door, walk directly to the front desk and hand the package to Seth. Paul, the head of security, paused the video, zooming closely on the boy's face. I shook my head. I had never seen the boy before. He was very nondescript. Tall, but not too tall, average build, dressed casually, no piercings or tattoos. He looked like a million other boys his age. I saw that Edward was shaking his head as well.

"Miklos probably paid this kid to deliver the package." Detective Call remarked. Call had introduced himself to us as Uley's partner. He was tall and a bit stocky, with cropped jet black hair and looked to be about ten years younger than Uley.

"You're probably right." Uley said, his mouth disappearing into a thin, frustrated line.

After that we went back to Edward's apartment. The uniformed cops dusted the box and its contents for fingerprints and bagged the evidence. I tried not to look at the cat, its eyes still open, obviously beheaded alive which made me sick to my stomach. How cruel. The detectives questioned Seth closely, and he began to get defensive. I felt bad for him; it wasn't his fault. He had probably accepted hundreds of packages at that desk, how was he supposed to know that a madman had sent this one?

They questioned Edward and me as well, asking about our whereabouts and whether we had shown any public displays of affection. When Edward told him yes, that we had kissed and held hands, Uley explained that Aro probably saw Edward as a new rival.

"I don't give a fuck what he sees me as; I am concerned about the fact that he sees me at all. Does this mean he is back in New York and is following her?" Edward pressed the officers for answers.

"Probably." Call replied at the same time Uley said "Maybe not."

We all looked at Uley and waited for him to elaborate.

"He seems to be a very smart man. He might have people working for him that are following her and keeping track of her for him. We really can't know until he makes physical contact." Uley explained.

"Jesus Christ." Edward muttered. He went to the kitchen and poured himself two fingers of the bourbon he kept in the cabinet.

There was a lot of discussion between the police and the apartment security about camera placement and other logistics. I began to feel incredibly guilty that because of me all of this was going on. I had brought my drama to Edward's front door, literally. And now he was a target.

"Wait." I said, a thought coming to me suddenly. "So he or one of his people could have been watching me when I was staying at Alice's and watching me when I ran errands with Rose? Does that mean that they are targets, too?" I asked, panicked. Everyone in the room looked at Uley, waiting for him to answer.

He contemplated my question for a few moments before answering. "From my experience, I would say that they are not targets. He sent flowers to your job, not to your friends' apartment and he didn't make any further contact until you were seen with Edward."

"But he probably knows where they live." I concluded.

"Yes." He answered honestly, looking me in the eye. Edward's eyes were on me as well, filled with concern.

"Do you have any information on this fucker? Does he have a record? Any past history of criminal activity?" Edward demanded.

Call and Uley looked at each other before Uley responded. "We did find something."

"And?" Edward persisted.

"The records are sealed." Uley admitted quietly.

"Fuck! I'm calling Mike." Edward said, pulling out his cell phone and walking into his office.

"The only way we can get them unsealed is with a court order. And we don't have enough evidence yet to get a judge to sign off on it." Call told me. I just nodded. There wasn't anything left to say. Aro clearly had the advantage.

Mike showed up a few minutes later. Apparently, after moving out of the apartment he shared with his girlfriend, Mike moved into Edward's building with a recommendation from Edward. I had heard Edward talk about Mike many times, but I had never met him.

"Izzy, this is Mike Newton, an old friend from law school. Mike, this is Izzy." Edward introduced us. Mike stuck out his hand and I shook it. He was several inches shorter than Edward with dirty blonde hair and brown eyes that were mischievous.

"Nice to meet you." Mike said, his eyes betraying his confusion before quickly returning to neutral.

"Nice meeting you, too." I said quietly. Edward caught Mike up quickly on what was going on.

"How would someone get their records sealed?" Edward asked him. Mike was a defense attorney.

"A lot of money and a good lawyer. More than likely he was never convicted of whatever he was charged with. How old is this guy?" Mike wanted to know.

"Fiftyish." I told him.

"No one starts this kind of behavior at this age. I am sure he has a history." Mike said, reaching the same conclusion that we all had. Mike and Edward looked at each other and something passed between them silently.

"Izzy, I think you should stay here. There are cameras inside and outside of the building and security can watch for any suspicious people or activity." Uley told me as he rounded up his officers. His tone was a bit harsh, probably because he had told me to stay there before and I hadn't listened.

"We will begin to do an hourly patrol of the premises, just to check any areas that the cameras can't pick up." Paul added, shaking Edward's hand. "The safety of our tenants is our utmost priority." He added, looking at me.

"Seth's not in trouble, is he?" I asked. Paul grinned good-naturedly.

"Nah. He's a good kid. If any packages come for Mr. Cullen in the future, we will call the police immediately, now that we are aware of the situation."

"Thanks, Paul." He said as the large group filed out of the apartment, everyone except Mike.

"Izzy, I'm going to talk to Mike for a few minutes in my office. Will you be okay for a little while?"

"Yeah, I'm going to take a bath." I said, before remembering that I didn't have any clean clothes at his place. "Do you mind if I wear one of your T-shirts?"

"Of course not, baby. Whatever you need." He said, kissing my forehead before closing himself up in his office with Mike. I went into the bathroom and began to fill the tub with warm water, dumping in bubble bath from Philosophy that I'd left in his cabinet. I sank down under the fragrant suds and tears of frustration and anger and guilt began to break free. I didn't stop them from sliding down my cheeks and splashing into the water one by one. Drip. Drop. Drip.

Edward knocked on the door. "Izzy, can I come in?"

"Yeah." I answered weakly.

He came in and sat on the closed toilet. My nude body was covered by the abundance of bubbles.

"Is Mike gone?" I asked.

"Yeah. I came in to check on you." He said, eying my tear streaked face and puffy eyes.

"I am so scared that something is going to happen to you or my friends and it's going to be my fault." I admitted.

"None of this is your fault, Izzy! That fucker is crazy." Edward assured me.

"I just feel so powerless. Aro is pulling all the strings and we can't do anything."

"Not within the law." He conceded. "But there are other ways…"

"What? No, Edward. I don't…"

"Izzy, I will do anything to protect you. _Anything_." He emphasized. "I swear on my life that he will never put his hands on you ever again. Okay?"

I nodded, watching as the fury in his eyes dissipated and became calm sea green again.

"Do you mind if I join you?" he asked. I shook my head. He took off his clothes quickly, revealing his lean chiseled body. We both laughed when water sloshed over the edge of the tub and onto the tiles when he climbed in behind me. Edward squeezed a dollop of body wash onto my bath sponge and gently cleansed my body from head to toe. I closed my eyes and enjoyed the feel of the warm suds and his sure hands.

I returned the favor, sitting on my knees and turning to face him in the tub. I watched his eyes as I soaped up his body achingly slow. He began to grow thick and hard under me and he closed his eyes with a low groan, resting his head on the white tiles behind him. I knew I shouldn't compare, but I couldn't help but notice how similar Edward and Emmett were below the waist. They were both pretty much the same size and color. But where Emmett had made me feel unsure and undesired, Edward was helping me to feel more secure in my sexuality. Pleasure between us was exchanged freely and I felt no conflict when I leaned down and took him into my mouth.

"Izzy…" he breathed, his mouth hanging open in bliss. I took all of his thick cock, slurping as I moved up and down. I swirled my tongue around the tip.

"Fuck, baby." He hissed. Since I couldn't use my hands-I had to balance myself with my left hand and my right hand was still out of commission- I sucked as hard as I could, hallowing my cheeks. I relaxed my throat and let him slide all the way in. His surprised moan echoed through the bathroom.

"Baby, let me see your eyes." He begged. I looked up at him as I sucked.

"Good girl. You look so good with your lips wrapped around my cock." He told me. I hummed around him.

"That feels so fucking good, Izzy." He groaned, his eyes hooded. I could feel his body tensing under me and I doubled my efforts, moving faster and running my tongue along the underside of his cock.

"Baby, stop…stop." He groaned. He stood up and pulled me up with him and out of the tub. He sat me on the edge of the vanity sink, maneuvered himself between my legs and devoured my mouth until I was breathless. My hand found purchase in his damp hair as our tongues fought for dominance. His wet thumbs caressed my nipples until they were stiff and then pinched them. I cried out at the painful pleasure that traveled straight down to my pussy, causing it to ache with need. His lips moved down my jaw and to my neck where he nipped lightly.

"Edward…" I wrapped a hand around him and put him at my entrance, surprised at my own boldness.

"Izzy, wrap that arm around my neck and don't let go." He instructed. I did as he said and he held my legs up and open as he slid into my warmth. Feeling him inside of me without any barrier was intense. We had talked about it the previous night and he told me that he hadn't been with any other women at all since the last time he was tested. I had been tested at the hospital and I hadn't been with anyone else since then, obviously. And I had been on birth control since I turned eighteen. When he was seated all the way in, his lips found mine and he began to move, slowly and deeply, in and out, as our wet bodies smacked together rhythmically. I was so sensitive and swollen, every stroke made me cry out and very quickly I was on the edge of release.

"Edward…I'm gonna come…" I whispered against his lips.

"Already, naughty girl?" he crooned. He slid his hand between us and circled my clit.

"That feels so good!" I cried.

"Come for me, baby. Then I'll take you in the bedroom and give you some more. Is that what you want?"

"Yes…yesssssss!" I wailed as the coil snapped and my orgasm flashed through my body, my toes curling in ecstasy. He held me tight as my body shuddered.

"Good girl." He said and nibbled my bottom lip. He scooped me up and carried me to his bed as promised. He sat on the bed with his back against the headboard and pulled me on top of him. I stiffened immediately.

"You don't want to be on top?" he asked, noticing my uncertainty.

"I just…I don't…" I stuttered. Emmett and I had never done that position; with him it was either missionary or doggy style. Well, we had tried it once and he said that he couldn't get off.

"Relax, baby." He whispered. "Slide down on me…just like that….mmmm Izzy, you feel incredible." He groaned, squeezing my ass with his large hands. I grabbed the headboard for leverage and began to grind my hips against him, rotating them in a spiral. My head fell back. Fuck, this felt good. Edward closed his lips around my breasts, sucking and licking as I rode him. I began to speed up as my inhibitions fell away and pleasure overtook me.

"That's it, baby. Ride my dick." He encouraged, and then he slapped my left ass cheek before rubbing the sting away. I was shocked by his action and completely astonished that I fucking loved it.

"Oh Edward…again." I moaned loudly. He slapped me again, even harder, and my hips moved on their own, swirling and grinding rapidly as I chased my orgasm. Edward thrust upwards and groaned. His jaw was tense and his mouth hung open as he breathed harshly. I knew he was close.

"Izzy…so hot…shit…"

"Fill me up." I whispered.

"Ungh!" he grunted as he slammed me down onto him over and over. I fell over the edge with his name on my lips and he growled mine as his thrusts slowed down and he released warm spurts into my depths. We clung to each other as our bodies relaxed. I buried my head into his neck, kissing his ear and whispering to him how good he made me feel. He rubbed the small of my back and told me how beautiful I was and how much I meant to him. We pushed our worries aside and stayed in our bubble for the rest of the night.


	21. Chapter 21

"This show is so fucking stupid, Izzy. I don't know how you can watch this." Edward was saying as he stuffed an egg roll into his mouth. We were sitting in front of the television, watching Keeping Up with the Kardashians and eating Chinese food. Since the coffee table had been destroyed, we set up a picnic on the floor, complete with wine and a blanket. It was cozy and romantic.

"It's like a train wreck. You know it's horrible but you just can't look away." I explained, munching on shrimp lo mein.

"Does Scott have a job? What exactly does he do?"

"No one really knows. It seems to change a lot."

Edward's cell phone rang and he answered it. "Hi Katie."

I heard muffled talking. "Okay, I'll put you on speaker." Edward said. He pressed a button and then I heard Kate's voice.

"Hey, Izzy!" she called.

"Hey, Kate. Are you guys having fun at your aunt and uncle's?"

"Hell no. That's why I need you guys to come here tomorrow. Aunt Esme said they are going to have a Labor Day barbecue and they are inviting all their old people friends." Kate whined.

"I hope my mother isn't close by. She will die if she hears you call her old." Edward told her.

"She's at the market buying food for the shindig. She actually called it that- a shindig. Come on, please don't let us be the only people here under the age of fifty tomorrow." She begged. Edward looked at me, letting me know that it was my decision.

"Kate, I don't know if it's a good idea..." I hedged.

"Look, I know that you used to date Emmett and now you're with Edward but it won't be awkward." Kate said tactlessly, as someone her age would.

"Katie…" Edward warned.

"Seriously, Edward. He cheated on her left and right. As far as I'm concerned, she's with the better brother." She continued adamantly. My eyes widened as I processed the bomb that Kate had inadvertently dropped on me. I looked at Edward.

"Fuck, Katie. Sometimes you're so… I gotta go." He said before he quickly ended the call.

"Emmett cheated on me?" I asked quietly after several long, silent minutes.

"Yes."

"And you knew?" I screeched.

"Yes." He admitted with a heavy sigh.

"And you didn't say anything?"

"Izzy…"

"I considered you my friend!" I yelled, standing up.

"I was your friend…I _am_ your friend…but he's my brother, Izzy!"

"Did you tell him to stop…or did you sit around together, laughing at my stupidity? Was I a fucking joke to both of you?" I asked, my ears growing hot with anger.

"Of course you weren't a joke! I told him that you were a great girl and that he shouldn't treat you that way."

"Who?"

"Huh?" Edward looked baffled.

"Who were the girls he cheated with?"

"Izzy, does it matter?"

"Tell me who, Edward!" I demanded, my voice growing shrill.

"I know that he slept with a girl from his job. And he told me about a flight attendant when he went to Florida on business. After that I told him not to tell me about any more women."

"Oh, how classy of you." I said, my voice dripping with sarcasm.

"Izzy, don't you understand that I was between a rock and a hard place?" He pleaded with me. I went into his bedroom and slammed the door. I felt humiliated that everyone seemed to know that Emmett was sleeping around except me. I felt stupid that I had been carrying around so much guilt about falling for Edward when he was just going around fucking random women without feeling an ounce of regret. I was irate that he'd had the nerve to call me a slut when he was the king of the fucking sluts.

I grabbed my cell phone from my purse and called Rose.

"Oh you've finally taken a breather from fucking like bunnies? Alice told me that you and Edward went out on Friday and then you texted her that you were spending the night. Good for you!." Rose exclaimed when she answered. I realized that I hadn't told either of them about what happened on Saturday morning so I caught her up.

"A dead cat? He's a psychopath." She reasoned after I finished. "Thank God you're safe."

"Rose, I am worried for you guys. Please watch your back."

"Jake is itching for a fight. Jasper, too. I hope he does try something so that they can end him."

"Rose…I accidentally found out today that Emmett cheated on me." I changed the subject to the one that was currently weighing heavily on my mind.

"How do you accidentally find that out?"

"Edward's little cousin kind of blurted it out. I guess she thought that I already knew. Edward knew." I explained.

"Izzy, are you really surprised?"

"About the cheating? No. He's a selfish jerk, I get it. But Edward knew and he never told me. I feel like a moron."

"But that's his brother…"

"You sound like him…who cares if it's his brother? It's still wrong. If Jasper was cheating on Alice, wouldn't you tell Alice?"

"You can't compare the two situations…Alice is one of my best friends…and they are married and have been together for years…you and Emmett were together a year and you and Edward were friends but not best friends. And honestly, I don't know what I would do in that situation. My instinct would be to protect my brother's confidence."

"Even if he wasn't remorseful at all? You'd protect him?" I asked incredulously.

"Izzy, I don't know. But being mad at Edward isn't going to change what Emmett did. Emmett is the one who cheated on you."

"I hate him, Rose. I fucking hate him!" I raged, my true emotions finally breaking free.

"Oh honey, I know. But you are with a good man now." She soothed. We talked for a few more minutes before hanging up. My anger ebbed and sadness washed over me as I laid on Edward's king sized bed, emotionally spent from the constant roller coaster that I seemed to be on. But I knew I couldn't spend the rest of my life being sad about a relationship that I wasn't in anymore.

I needed closure. I reached into my purse again and pulled out a pocket notepad and a pen from the bottom, underneath my wallet. I'd heard that penning a letter to someone that had hurt you was a way to release feelings of anger. Of course I would never mail it; it was solely for me to air out my feelings. I began to write.

_Dear Emmett,_

_I know that we are not together anymore but I want you to know how much you've hurt me. Over and over again you showed me that you really didn't care about me and your words of love and affection were superficial at best, yet I believed that if I tried harder or did more, then you would treat me better. I believed for so long that I was the problem, but I wasn't- you are the problem. I wasn't too sensitive, or too uptight or too dramatic, you are just insensitive and self-absorbed. I was committed to our relationship, but clearly you weren't. Yes, in a moment of weakness, I turned to your brother and he and I both regret that, but only because I should have broken up with you long before it had come to that. I put my feelings on the back burner too many times, choosing the relationship over myself, something that I will never do again. I hope that you treat your next girlfriend better than you treated me. And even if you don't, I am glad that I met you because if I hadn't met you then I wouldn't have met your brother and learned how good it feels to be treated with compassion and respect. And also I would have never experienced the pleasure of multiple orgasms. So thank you._

_Izzy_

~SD~

"Baby, wake up." A hushed voice interrupted my dreamless sleep.

"Hmmm? What time is it?" I opened my bleary eyes slowly. My hand was still gripping the little notebook where I'd written the letter. Edward was looking down at me, remorse etched across his beautiful features.

"It's almost eleven. Izzy, I'm so sorry. I didn't want you to find out the way that you did." He stretched out next to me, studying my face.

"I know." I said, my voice faint.

"There was a point after we'd slept together where I desperately wanted to tell you, when you were beating yourself up with guilt. But I didn't want you to think I was trying to turn you against Emmett."

"And that's probably exactly what I would have believed at that time." I admitted. "I wrote a letter to Emmett. I want to move forward and close the door on that chapter of my life once and for all."

"Are you going to send it to him?"

"No. I'm going to tear it up. I just needed to get my feelings out. Do you…do you want to read it?" I asked him.

"Do you _want_ me to read it? I understand if it's too personal…"

"You can read it." I ripped the page from the notebook and handed him the paper. I watched his pensive face as he read, his green eyes softening as he reached the end.

"Come on, get up." He said, pushing himself off of the bed and standing up.

"What?"

"Get up." He urged. I swung my legs to the floor and stood up as well, following him out of the room, down the hall and into his office.

"Why are we in here?" I asked, thoroughly confused.

He opened his top drawer and pulled out an ornate gold lighter.

"Are you ready?" he asked. I nodded my head. He handed me the lighter and I flicked the thumbwheel until a small orange flame appeared. I brought the flame to the edge of the paper and we both watched as the fire consumed the paper until it was nothing but ashes that Edward swept into the wastepaper basket.

He pulled me close and we kissed softly.

"Izzy…I'm in love with you." Edward whispered to me in his darkened office. He pressed his forehead against mine.

My hands were trembling as I spoke. "I'm in love with you, too."


	22. Chapter 22

"Eventually, I am going to have to get more of my clothes. I can't live in your t-shirts and no underwear forever." I said to Edward on Monday morning. He was sitting at the kitchen bar eating a bowl of oatmeal while I nibbled a slice of buttered toast. We still had not made it to the market.

"I don't see why not." He said with a smirk as he read the New York Times on his tablet.

"I'll call Alice and see if she's home. I need to go and pick up my clothes, not to mention my computer." I mused, half to myself. I really needed to stop by my own apartment as well and get more clothes and necessities.

"How about you ask her to bring your things here…and then we all go to New Jersey to hang out by the pool at my parents' house?" He asked, not looking up from his iPad.

"Edward…"

"Come on…we can have a few beers around the pool...get a tan. It's a beautiful day outside." He said, finally looking up at me. "When's the last time you've been out of the city?"

"It's been a while. Months." I admitted. "But I don't know…"

"If it's too weird we'll leave. I'll say I have some work to do. My mom _really_ wants to meet you."

"When did you talk to your mother?"

"Earlier this morning, while you were still snoring."

"I do not snore!" I frowned and crossed my arms like a petulant child.

"Whatever, princess." His eyes went back to his iPad.

"Can Rose and Jake come, too?"

"Of course. It'll be fun." Edward said, a wide smile on his handsome face.

I sighed. I guess I couldn't put it off forever. I prayed that the Labor Day gods would smile on me and that Emmett would not be at this party.

~SD~

An hour and a half later, I was getting out of the shower and Alice handed me a bathing suit to wear that still had tags on it. She had brought over my things but obviously I didn't have any swimwear packed in my suitcase.

"Alice, I'm not wearing that." I told her, looking at the bikini skeptically. It was hot pink and it was tiny. Microscopic, actually. Just four triangles held together with string.

"Why not?"

"It's so… small." I said, wrinkling my nose.

"So? You have the body for it. Isn't this why we go to spin class?"

I snatched the suit from her. "Fine. I'll just keep my clothes on over it."

Alice rolled her eyes and left me to get dressed. I could hear peals of laughter from Jake, Jasper, Edward and Rose when she opened the door. I smiled to myself, happy that they all seemed to be getting along. Emmett hated hanging out with my friends- gah, I had to quit it with the mental comparisons between Edward and Emmett. I quickly put on the bikini and pulled on a denim skirt and an off the shoulder gray tee that I'd bought from Alice's store over top of it. I put my wavy hair up and slid into a pair of black sandals before joining everyone in the living room.

"No way are the Patriots winning the Superbowl this year!" Jake was saying, pointing at Jasper.

"Well, it damn sure isn't going to be your team, the Broncos!" Jasper said heatedly.

"What about San Francisco? They've been looking really good in the preseason." Edward chimed in.

"Yeah, but their QB is coming off an injury. He's still not a hundred percent." Jasper said.

"How about Seattle?" I asked. All three of them turned, looked at me and rolled their eyes.

"Seattle? I know that's your home team but…hell no." Jake said.

"Definitely not." Jasper added.

"Yeah…no. Not gonna happen." Edward agreed. "You ready to go?"

"Yup."

"We can all fit in my truck." Jake said as everyone stood up. Jake owned a huge black Ford Expedition that he and Rose had spent months customizing. It was his pride and joy.

"You look gorgeous, baby." Edward whispered into my ear as we waited for the elevator. My heart fluttered from his words, from his warm breath that tickled my ear, simply from being near him. He was dressed casually, donning a pair of plaid board shorts, a form fitting white t-shirt and his sexy aviator sunglasses. He was so hot.

The ride to Edward's parents' home wasn't long. With Edward giving Jake directions, we were there in about forty five minutes. When Edward pointed out the house, my jaw dropped. It was huge, sprawling. The enormous lawn in front of the house was a perfectly manicured sea of green grass, colorful flowers and lush shrubbery. The circular driveway was filled with cars, so we had to park on the street.

"Dude, did you have to mow this gigantic lawn when you were growing up?" Jake asked as we walked along the stone pathway leading up to the house.

"When I was growing up, we didn't live here, we lived in Queens. And we had no lawn. They've only lived here for a few years." Edward explained. The front door was unlocked and we all stepped out of the sunshine and into the Cullen's expansive living room. It was bright and modern, yet still cozy. The walls were covered with pictures of Edward, Emmett and their parents.

"Is that you?" I asked, pointing at a framed picture of a wiry boy, about eight or nine years old, playing the piano.

"Yeah, it's me." He chuckled, pulling me along.

"I want to look at the pictures. You were so cute." I told him.

"Later."

We traipsed through the living room and the spacious kitchen and out to the backyard. There were quite a few people milling around the pool, but no one was in the water. Kate was the first to spot us.

"Eddie! Izzy!" she called from the other side of the pool and then ran over to us, practically knocking us over with the force of her hugs. Edward introduced her to Rose, Jake, Alice and Jasper. She greeted them all politely.

"I didn't think you were coming! Izzy, I'm sorry if I said the wrong thing yesterday. My mom says that my mouth works faster than my brain sometimes." Kate spoke rapidly, her brown eyes pleading with me to understand.

"It's okay, we're here. Where's Irina?" I asked, looking around.

"I'm right here." She said, sliding the door closed as she exited the kitchen, two water bottles in her hands. More introductions were made.

"See what I mean? All old people." Kate whispered. I looked around and I had to agree; the crowd was definitely on the mature side.

"Well, we're here now. Where's the beer?" Edward inquired.

"How would I know? Uncle Carlisle won't let me have any." Kate pouted.

"I'll go get some beers. And some music. You guys just make yourselves at home." Edward instructed before he walked back into the house. All eyes were on us as we walked around the kidney shaped pool; I suppose I shouldn't have been surprised. We were all young, Rose looked like she stepped off of a runway in Paris, Jasper looked like an Abercrombie and Fitch catalog model, Alice was dressed to the nines as usual in a red romper and silver platform heels and Jake was five shades darker than everyone at the pool and it wasn't because he had a tan.

We found a few unoccupied patio chairs and pulled them all together.

"Come on, let's get in the pool." Alice urged. She kicked her heels off and pulled her strapless romper off, exposing her adorable navy bikini. She and Jasper sat on the edge of the pool, splashing the water with their feet. Kate and Irina eased into the pool as well. Edward returned with a cooler and some speakers.

"Jake, can you help me set up these speakers?" Edward asked.

"Sure." Jake replied. They fiddled around for several minutes until the beginning chords of "Don't Stop Believing" filled the backyard.

"Journey?" Jake asked.

"My mother loves them." Edward explained.

"I've seen them in concert twelve times." A warm feminine voice behind us said.

"Izzy, this is my mom." Edward said. I stood up and turned to face the mother of both my ex and current boyfriend. She was beautiful, with dark hair and dark eyes like Emmett. She was effortlessly chic in a pair of white pants and a yellow billowy top.

"It's nice to meet you Mrs. Cullen." I said nervously. My heart was beating a mile a minute.

"Call me Esme, please. It's so nice to meet you, Izzy!" She exclaimed with a grin. "Kate has been talking nonstop about you since Saturday. She really thinks you are the bee's knees. Irina, too."

"Bee's knees, Mom?" Edward rolled his eyes.

"I'm sorry. Izzy, they think you are the shit. Is that better, Edward?"

"No." Edward replied.

"Mrs. Cullen…Esme…these are my good friends. That's Alice and her husband Jasper and that's Rose and her fiancé Jake." I said, pointing each person out to her.

"Nice to meet you all. Welcome to our home. Help yourselves to food, drink, whatever you want. Carlisle's getting ready to start on the grill. Are any of you vegans? Are hamburgers, hot dogs and chicken alright? "

"It's perfect. Thank you." I said.

"Edward, did you bring the cooler out?"

"Yep, right there." He said, pointing.

"Okay, turn up the music, hand out some beers and let's have some fun!" she enthused before flitting off to speak with another group.

"Excuse my mother's enthusiasm. She loves playing hostess." Edward told me as we pulled Coronas and Bud Lights from the cooler and handed them out. Jake turned the speakers up and everyone at the party began to loosen up a bit.

"She's really nice." I said honestly. She was charming and effervescent and I had liked her immediately.

"Edward! Come over here and say hello to the O'Briens'!" Esme called from the other side of the pool. Edward kissed my cheek and promised to return quickly before walking over to join his mother. I sat down in a chair and sipped my beer.

Rose pulled off her denim shorts and tank, showing off her red and white polka dot bikini. I chuckled to myself as one man's eyes practically bugged out and he choked on his drink.

"Come on, Iz. Bring your beer over and get in." Rose said.

"I can't. My arm." I gestured to my sling.

"You can put your feet in. Come on!" Alice exclaimed. I narrowed my eyes at her. She knew I didn't want to take off my clothes. She narrowed her hazel eyes right back at me. Well, it wasn't like my bikini was any skimpier than anyone else's. I stepped out of my sandals and pulled off my skirt and top. I sat down next to Rose and stuck my toes into the water. Oh, it was warm. It felt divine.

Rose pushed Jake until he fell into the pool and then Jake pulled Rose down with him, splashing water on all of us. Soon they were all in the water along with Kate and Irina playing volleyball, the two guys against the four girls.

"You are absolutely killing me with that bikini, Izzy." Edward whispered as he sat down beside me. He had taken his shirt and sneakers off.

"Does it look bad?" I asked self-consciously.

"Baby…you look so sexy." He breathed, his eyes traveling over my body and darkening with lust. "Your ass…fuck…"

"Edward…Izzy." I looked up and Dr. Cullen was standing over us. I stood up as quickly as I could and wished that I had on more clothes.

"It's nice to see you again, Dr. Cullen." I said. I'd met him once briefly when I was with Emmett. I could only imagine what kind of woman he thought I was. I tried to put those thoughts out of my mind.

"Hey, Dad." Edward said as he stood. They embraced in a masculine one armed hug, slapping each other's backs. Dr. Cullen and Edward were the same height and build. They even had the same intelligent green eyes, but Dr. Cullen's hair was blonde with silver streaks.

"How's that arm?" Dr. Cullen asked me conversationally.

"It's okay. I go back to the orthopedist next week."

"Edward said they still haven't caught the man who assaulted you?"

"No, not yet." I replied.

"Well, I hope they get that scum off the streets soon."

"Me, too." I agreed.

"Son, can you help me at the grill for a few minutes?" Dr. Cullen requested. "I don't know where your mother went off to."

"Sure, no problem. I'll be back, Izzy." Edward said and he and his father walked away toward the grill in the corner of the yard. Instead of sitting at the pool, I wrapped a large towel around myself and went into the house and to the living room. There were two huge bookcases on either side of the brick fireplace. I studied the titles- mostly classics: Pride and Prejudice, 1984, Brave New World, One Hundred Years of Solitude.

I wandered over to the wall by the winding staircase to inspect the collection of framed photos. Edward was small as a child; Emmett towered over him in most of the pictures of them as kids. There were pictures of both of them in baseball uniforms and Emmett in his high school football uniform. There were graduation pictures, high school and college. Edward had grown from a small boy to a gangly teen and then to a strapping young man with a confident smile.

"I was wondering where you went." Edward said quietly, startling me. I had been so absorbed in the photos that I hadn't heard him come into the room.

"I was just looking at the pictures." I said. "What's this? You never told me you played in a rock band." I pointed at an image of Edward at about sixteen or seventeen, playing guitar on a stage with three teens. His hair was much longer then and hung over his forehead and in his eyes.

"Yeah, a few of my friends and I got together and started a band. We were really into Blink-182." He laughed. "We played some gigs the summer before we went to college. It was fun."

"I'll bet you had a bunch of groupies." I giggled.

"Would you have been a groupie if you'd have known me back then?" he asked, wrapping his arms around my waist.

"Probably. Guitar players are sexy."

He leaned down and our lips met softly, but in mere moments the kiss became heated, our tongues twisting and twirling. His hands slid under my towel and he caressed the skin of my thigh, slowly inching closer to my…

"Edward!" I pulled away from the kiss and removed his hand. We were at his parents' house and there were at least forty people in and around the pool, just twenty feet away.

"Izzy…you look so good…your ass is perfect…have I ever told you that?" He murmured, as he softy sucked behind my ear, the spot that always made me weak. He pulled me against him and I could feel his hardness pressing against my stomach.

"You feel that? I want you so badly…please, baby?" he pleaded, his voice filled with need.

"Here?" I whispered.

"Come on." He pulled me down a short hall and into a powder room right off the kitchen, and turned the lock on the door knob after he shut the door. He ripped the towel from me, letting it fall to the floor and kissed me again, passionately and possessively, pressing my body into the sink.

"All the old men were watching you in your little bikini." He whispered between kisses. "I wanted to tell them all that you are mine. So fucking sexy and you don't even realize it." He pushed my top up and rubbed my sensitive nipples until they hardened under his touch. He wrapped his lips around one, licking and sucking. I had to bite my lip to keep from moaning.

"Turn around, baby." I turned and faced the mirror over the porcelain sink. I felt his hands ghost along my legs as he pulled my bikini bottoms down. I quickly stepped out of them and braced my arm against the sink. His teeth nibbled the fleshy part of my bottom and I gasped in surprise.

"Spread your legs…stick your ass out…just like that." I watched his face in the mirror as he entered me. His jaw went slack and he groaned quietly.

"You're so deep, Edward." I whispered as I reveled in the feeling of him filling me up. He groaned again, his expression seeming almost tortured as he moved in and out of me.

"Izzy, I don't think I can go slowly. I need you too much." He admitted. His hips began to speed up and he looked feral as he pounded me.

"Does my pussy feel good, Edward?" I cooed, my eyes glued to his reflection. His eyes rolled to the back of his head. He grunted loudly and gripped my hips to him with force.

"Shit…" he practically growled. His hooded eyes squeezed shut and his jaw clenched, then his whole face relaxed into a half smile. He opened his eyes and his gorgeous face reddened slightly; he dropped his head onto my shoulder.

"Baby…I'm sorry." He whispered against my skin.

"Sorry for what?"

"You didn't come." He stated. I was so enraptured by watching his pleasure, I didn't even care. Truthfully, seeing him wanting me so badly that he lost his control was a huge turn on. It made me feel…powerful.

"I was so desperate for you, I just couldn't…I'll make it up to you. I promise." Edward murmured as he pulled out of me.

"It's okay, Edward." I said while he tucked himself back into his board shorts.

"Let's get back outside before anyone notices we are gone." He turned the sink on and washed his hands.

"You go ahead. I need to…clean up a bit." I admitted as I straightened up and turned to face him.

"Okay." He tilted my face up and kissed my lips. "You are just so beautiful."

"Whatever." I said, pushing him away and laughing.

"One day you'll believe me." Edward said seriously.

"You make me feel beautiful." I told him, my voice soft.

"Good. Because you are." He said, kissing me again. "I'd better go."

He left me then, closing the door behind him. I took care of my business swiftly and returned to my beer and my friends at the side of the pool. Edward was back at the grill with his father, but he gave me a heart melting smile when he saw me walk by.

"Where the hell did you go?" Alice asked when I sat down.

"I was just inside, looking at pictures." I told her without meeting her eyes.

"Yeah, right." Rose said with a giggle. Jasper and Jake just chuckled and got up to grab some food.

"I have to admit, I thought this was going to be weird." Alice said. "But it's been fun. No awkwardness at all."

"Um, I think you may have spoken too soon." Rose informed us, looking past Alice and I, toward the house. We turned to see what she was staring at. Emmett was walking through the sliding glass doors and his arm was wrapped around the shoulders of a petite, gorgeous girl with long light brown hair.


	23. Chapter 23

"How old is she, like twelve?" Rose said, looking disgusted.

"Look at those fake tits and that horrible fake tan." Alice commented.

"I know her." I suddenly realized that I had seen her before. The last time I went to Emmett's job, I remember seeing her in a cubicle right outside of his office.

"What do you mean you _know_ her?" Rose asked, her brow furrowed. The couple stopped and greeted Esme, who looked a little flustered but kept her cool.

"She works at his job." I told them.

"Do you think she was the one…?" Rose started.

"She has to be. One of who knows how many." I replied.

"Shhh…they're coming over here." Alice shushed us.

"Hello Alice, Rosalie… nice to see you both again." Emmett said, standing in front of us with a dimpled smile. The space between his eyes was a fading purple bruise, still bearing the results of his and Edward's confrontation. Alice mumbled a quick hello. Rose didn't bother to say anything.

"Izzy…I didn't expect to see you here. I thought Edward would be finished with you by now." Emmett said, finally swinging his eyes to me.

"You are such a fucking asshole, Emmett." Rose glowered.

"Oh my God…is this the girl that fucked your brother?" the girl with Emmett finally spoke, her voice high pitched and nasal. She looked at me with a smirk.

"Aren't you the girl that's fucking someone old enough to be her father? How old are you?" Rose snapped, her blue eyes blazing.

"Not that it's your business, but I am twenty." she responded with a flip of her hair, looking Rose up and down.

I could see Edward quickly weaving through groups of people trying to get over to us. Emmett noticed as well.

"Hey, Ed! I was just telling Izzy that I was surprised to see her here. I figured you would have moved on." Emmett called to him, the girl at his side giggling.

"Emmett, why the fuck are _you_ here?" Edward asked, stopping in front of Emmett with his fists clenched at his sides.

"Dad called and invited me."

'What?" Edward looked upset.

"Yes, I invited him." Dr. Cullen piped in. He had been right on Edward's heels. "You two are family. You need to fix this."

"I can't fix Emmett being a selfish dick." Edward said to his father, his temper flaring.

"Edward…" Dr. Cullen warned.

"Emmett, just stay away from Izzy. Don't talk to her, don't look at her, just leave her alone." Edward insisted.

"Will do. Come on, babe. I'm starving." Emmett said, pulling the girl along as he strode toward the food.

"Carlisle, can I see you in the house. Now?" Esme beckoned to Dr. Cullen from the sliding glass doors. She looked pretty pissed. He sighed heavily before walking over to her.

"Are you okay?" Edward whispered to me. I nodded.

"Let's go for a walk." He said, putting his arm around me. He led me along the side of the house to the front lawn. There were several people in the driveway, smoking cigarettes and drinking beer so we kept walking until we reached the street.

"Izzy, I'm so sorry. My mother promised me that he wasn't coming, that he didn't know anything about this party." Edward finally said.

"Edward, is that the girl from his job that he slept with?"

Edward looked at the ground and nodded his head imperceptibly. I snorted humorlessly.

"Are you really okay? Do you want to leave?" Edward asked, his concerned green eyes on me.

"Yes. More than anything in the world. But I'm not going to."

"Huh?"

"I don't want Emmett to know that he gets to me. I don't want to give him anymore of my energy. He doesn't deserve it." I explained.

"Okay, baby. Operation Ignore Emmett is now in effect. Let's go get some food. You haven't eaten anything since that toast this morning."

"Edward, we really need to go to the market. That was our last piece of bread." I told him, laughing.

~SD~

"You can get in the water, Edward. I don't mind." I said. I was sitting in his lap as we watched Jake, Rose, Jasper, Alice, Irina, Kate and a few others play Marco Polo in the pool. The sun was setting and Esme had lit beautiful tiki torches all over the backyard.

"Nah, I like having you in my arms." He said, squeezing my waist with one arm and holding his beer in the other. The crowd had thinned out and there were just ten or fifteen people left in the yard. Emmett and Bree, his skanky new girlfriend, had only stayed for about two hours. He stuffed his face, bragged loudly to anyone that would listen about his job, took repeated shots at me and Edward and when neither of us engaged in his theatrics, they'd left.

"Izzy, would you like a slice of apple pie?" Esme asked. She sat down in the lounge chair next to us.

"No, thanks. I am full. Everything was delicious. I'm sorry if Jake ate you out of house and home. He has the fastest metabolism of anyone I've ever met."

She laughed loudly, her eyes bright with mirth. "Believe it or not, with all that he ate, I still have a boatload of leftovers."

"Don't tell Jake." I said. Her happy face suddenly turned serious, the corners of her mouth turning downward.

"Izzy, I'm sorry about Emmett. I'd promised Edward that he wasn't coming- I had no idea that my husband invited him. With all that's going on, I know that's the last thing you want to deal with." She said. Edward tightened his arm around me.

"It's okay." I mumbled, looking down at my hands.

"For what it's worth, I think you handled it beautifully. Hey, come with me to the kitchen and I'll wrap up a piece of pie for you to eat later." She said, standing. I stood up as well and followed her into the house.

"Hey, I'd like a piece of pie, too, Mom!" Edward called after us.

"I know the situation is awkward." Esme said as she pulled a plastic container from the cabinet next to the fridge. "But I see how happy you make Edward. He is so in love with you. And I don't think he's ever been in love with a woman before."

"Really?" I said, my voice betraying my surprise.

She chuckled. "He's had girlfriends and many admirers. I mean, he looks just like his father and Carlisle still has to practically beat them off with a stick. But Edward's never had a real connection, someone who is his equal, someone who has beauty and brains and sensitivity." She explained, cutting into the Dutch apple pie with precision.

"I thought I was in love before, but it's different with Edward." I admitted. "He gives, he doesn't just take and I…" I faltered, unable to finish.

She smiled. "It feels good to be treated like a princess. Every girl needs that. Edward told me your mother died when you were young?"

I nodded. "I was eleven."

"Well, if you ever need someone to talk to, I am here." She said, handing the container to me. Edward opened the sliding glass door and Rose, Jake, Alice and Jasper trooped in behind him, wrapped in towels.

"You guys can change upstairs. There are more towels in the bathroom if you need them. Just throw the wet towels into the hamper in the bathroom." Esme instructed. Everyone except Edward headed upstairs.

"Are you telling Izzy all of my deep dark secrets, Mom?" Edward asked, leaning against the counter.

"Yep. I told her all about Mr. Snoogie."

"Oh God, not Mr. Snoogie." Edward said, covering his face with his hands.

"Who is Mr. Snoogie?" I wanted to know.

"Mr. Snoogie was a stuffed giraffe that Edward refused to sleep without until he was eight." Esme said.

"Five." Edward corrected.

"Six." Esme countered and Edward was quiet.

"That's sooooo cute." I drawled, grinning at him.

"Thanks a lot, Mom. It's time to go. _Now_."

Esme hugged me gently. "It was so nice to meet you, Izzy."

"Nice to meet you, too."

"Don't forget what I said. Anytime." She whispered.

"I won't." I said as we pulled apart.

Edward leaned down and hugged his mother. "Thanks for inviting us."

"You and Izzy come back soon." She told him, poking him in the shoulder.

~SD~

"That was fun, Edward. Thanks for letting us hang out at your parents' pool all day." Alice said as Jake raced us back to the city in his truck.

"Yeah, thanks, man. We had planned on going to see that new Tom Cruise movie. This was better." Jasper agreed.

"Way better." Alice added.

"It would have been even better if that asshole Emmett hadn't shown up with his porn star girlfriend." Rose muttered.

"Yeah, she definitely has that porn look." Alice mused.

"No, she really does porn. I've seen her." Rose insisted.

"Well you would know; you watch enough porn." Alice conceded.

"Gross." Jasper said, rubbing his temples with his fingers. "Sometimes I think you all forget that Rose is my sister."

"Hey, not to alarm you guys, but I think that this silver car behind me is following us." Jake interrupted our conversation.

"Why do you think that?" I said, my heart skipping a beat.

"They've been behind us, making all the same turns, ever since we were in Alpine."

Edward twisted his head and checked out the car, a late model sedan about five car lengths behind Jake's truck.

"Nah, don't worry about it." Edward said nonchalantly, turning back around and facing forward.

"What the hell do you mean don't worry about it? What if it's Aro, following Izzy?" Rose exploded.

"Okay, I'm going to tell you all something, but you have to keep it to yourselves." Edward said.

"Okay. We promise. Just tell us what's going on." Jake demanded and the rest of them nodded. I looked at Edward next to me in the truck, just as confused as they were about what was happening.

"I hired someone to follow Izzy and me."

"Like a bodyguard? For protection?" Jasper inquired.

"No. I figured if I had someone follow us then they could spot who else was following us and then they could follow them, which hopefully can lead us to that crazy motherfucker."

"That's fucking genius!" Rose exclaimed.

"This is what Mike and I were talking about in my office the other day." Edward explained to me.

"This situation just gets more and more complicated every day." I sighed.

"The police can only do so much. We need a little extra insurance on our side. That asshole is going down, if it's the last fucking thing I do." Edward promised.


	24. Chapter 24

"What's the time frame of the project?" I asked. I was sitting in Edward's office on a conference call with a client late Wednesday afternoon. Edward's desk phone was super high tech but it was perfect for hands free talking.

"What do you mean, time frame?" the client asked, her voice filled with confusion.

"If you are approved for this grant, how long from the time you receive the funds until the project is completed? I'll want to include a timeline in the proposal."

"Ummm…nine months. I think that will be enough time." She replied.

"And you're requesting $250,000, correct?" I was typing notes on my laptop as we talked.

"Yes."

"You'll need to send me a breakdown of the budget- how much for materials, how much for labor. It needs to be specific and every dollar should be accounted for."

"How soon do you need it?"

"The deadline is October 1, so I'll need the budget by this Friday at the absolute latest. I want to get the proposal back to you as soon as possible before it is submitted, so you can make any revisions."

"Izzy, make sure you cc me when you send the preliminary proposal to the client." Victoria added.

"Absolutely." I said, rolling my eyes and thankful I was in an empty room. She critiqued more than the client ever did. A lot of people in our office would 'accidentally' forget to send her things to avoid her disapproval.

We ironed out a few more details before we ended the call. I used the notes from the meeting and began to put together a very rough outline.

"Hey, Princess!" Edward called, his deep voice echoing through the apartment. My heartbeat quickened. I liked it when he called me princess. It was so cheesy and I hated myself for it but it made me giddy. I looked at the time- it was just quarter after five. He was early.

"In here!" I called back. He walked into the office, leaned down and gave me a kiss. Edward's kiss was always the highlight of my day.

"I didn't know you would be home so early. I didn't start dinner yet." I said apologetically when we tore our lips from each other's.

"No worries. I thought I'd take you out on a proper date. We've never gone out on a real date, just me and you. So tonight's the night." Edward said.

I grinned excitedly. "Where are we going?"

"La Bella Italia."

My balloon of enthusiasm was immediately deflated. "Edward, we can't just walk into that restaurant. They're booked weeks in advance." La Bella Italia was one of the hottest restaurants in the city, especially after the head chef was featured on Iron Chef America.

"I _may_ have called in a favor and got a reservation for eight tonight." He said with a sly smile.

"Oh my God…I don't have anything to wear." I stood up from the desk and walked out of the office. "Do you think I have enough time to buy something? Shit, I'd have to buy shoes, too. I knew I should have packed a pair of heels just in case." I rambled.

"Whoa, baby. Relax." Edward said, chuckling. He guided me into the living room and picked up a garment bag that had been draped over the back of the sofa. I looked at the bag quizzically. It certainly hadn't been there all day.

"I _may_ have told Alice about the date and stopped at her store for an outfit for you on my way home. She wouldn't let me look at it though."

"That sounds like Alice." I laughed. "Thank you." I stood on my toes and kissed his lips.

His green eyes twinkled. "Go get dressed." He said, swatting my bottom. I giggled and grabbed the bag. I threw it on the bed and went into the bathroom to take a quick shower and wash my hair. It was still tender around the wound that had to be sutured, but after the stiches were removed I was allowed to wash my scalp again. I would never take that luxury for granted again.

After a super quick blow dry, I returned to the bedroom wrapped in a towel and Edward was changing his shirt. It was so easy for men, but he did look sexy. He was wearing a pair of black trousers and a fitted silver gray button up shirt.

"I'll get out of your way," He said, grabbing his iPad and his black blazer and closing the door behind him.

I unzipped the bag and of course Alice had thought of everything- undergarments, accessories and shoes. The dress was perfect: fitted and sleeveless black lace top that flared out into a full skirt, ending a few inches above my knees. The shoes were black stilettos with a pointed heel. I added a stack of silver bracelets and a pair of small earrings. I opted not to wear much make-up, just mascara, a couple sweeps of blush and lipstick. My hair fell over my shoulders in its natural wave. I checked the mirror one last time while I spritzed my favorite perfume on my wrists and behind my ears.

I strolled into the living room, purse in hand, and Edward was sitting on the sofa talking on his cell phone. His eyes swept slowly from my heels up to my face. He locked eyes with mine as he finished his conversation.

"I will call the client tomorrow to get that information…thanks, Harry…okay…you have a good night as well." He tossed the phone and it bounced on the couch cushion. He walked over to me and brought my hand to his lips.

"You look amazing, baby. I kind of want to stay in now." He told me.

"No, you promised me a date."

"Jesus, those legs…" he groaned, his eyes fixed on my thighs.

"Edward!"

He laughed. "Okay, okay. Let's get out of here."

~SD~

"The food was out of this world." I sighed, leaning my head on Edward's shoulder in the backseat of the taxi. We'd left the restaurant around ten and found a cab almost immediately. The food had been amazing and the ambience was intimate and romantic. The staff was a little snooty, but that was not really a surprise.

"It was good, but I'd take your cooking over that any day." Edward told me.

"The entrees were too elaborate for you?" I asked, giggling.

"I'm a simple man. Beer and wings, spaghetti and meatballs, steak and potatoes. Not chestnut fettuccine with wild boar ragu. My simple brain can't comprehend all of those complex flavors."

"You enjoyed the wine." I reminded him.

"Yeah, the wine was great. I'm not usually a wine drinker but it was delicious. What was it called again?"

"Amarone." I replied. "Thank you for dinner, Edward." I said, gazing into his green eyes.

"You are quite welcome. Thank you for giving me the pleasure of your company." He wrapped his arm around me as the taxi sped us back to his apartment. His other hand fished his vibrating cell phone from his pocket. He looked at the screen and quickly returned it to his pocket.

"Everything okay?" I asked.

"Yep. Everything is perfect."

By the time we got back, it was close to eleven. My heels looked lovely, but I was ready to take them off. He unlocked the door and let me go in first; I walked straight to the bedroom to relieve my pinched toes. I opened the door and stopped short.

The darkened room was bathed in the soft light of candles. Red rose petals were sprinkled all over the neatly made bed and there was a silver tray in the middle of the bed with a bakery box, a bottle of champagne and two glasses. Soft music added the final touch to the romantic scene.

"How…what…who?" I stuttered, unable to complete a thought. Edward wrapped his arms around my waist from behind. I felt his soft chuckle against my ear.

"Seth set it up for me." He explained. I felt tears forming in my eyes and I quickly turned around and buried my head in his chest.

"Izzy, are you okay?" He asked with a concerned voice as he rubbed my back. I nodded. I was overcome with emotion at his thoughtfulness.

"I'm sorry. I'm such a wuss." I said, my voice muffled by his shirt.

"No, you're not. Come here, baby." He grabbed my hand and walked me over to the bed. He opened the bakery box and there were two rows of bite sized cheesecakes, all different flavors.

"So that's why you didn't want dessert! You sneaky bastard!" I scolded him playfully.

"I have one more thing but it's in my office. I'll be right back." He said and then jogged out of the room. He was back five seconds later with a small plastic bag.

"If you're not into this, just tell me." He pulled a black quilted silk blindfold from the bag. "I thought we could have a taste test. You take a bite while blindfolded and tell me what flavors you taste."

I bit my lip and nodded my head. I was definitely into it.

"Okay, sit down on the bed, next to the tray." I did as he said and he carefully slid the blindfold over my eyes. I was completely shrouded in darkness, I could see absolutely nothing. I felt Edward's gentle hands on my ankles and he removed my heels. I heard the pop of the champagne bottle and the fizz of the liquid being poured into two flutes. He placed the glass in my hand and clinked his against mine. I tilted my glass to my lips and the bubbles tickled my nose.

"God Edward, this champagne is amazing." It was perfectly chilled and sweet.

"Drink up and I'll pour you another glass." We sipped for a few minutes and then he poured us both more.

"Baby, take a bite of this and tell me what it tastes like." He touched my lips with a little morsel and I opened my mouth and took a small bite.

"Umm…raspberry?" I said, licking my lips.

"Okay, try this one."

"Chocolate. That's easy."

"How about this one?"

"Hmmm…pumpkin? It's really good. You taste it."

"Fuck, that is good. This one?"

"White chocolate and something else. I can't figure it out. Try it."

I felt his tongue sweep across my lips and I gasped in surprise. I opened my lips and his tongue touched mine, electricity shooting through my body. All of my senses were heightened with my eyes blindfolded; the nerve endings under my skin prickled in excitement.

"Mmmm, it tastes like caramel." He whispered between kisses.

"Yes…" I moaned, twisting my tongue around his. He pulled away.

"Taste this." He breathed. He nudged something against my lips and I opened a bit. He slid a finger into my mouth and it tasted like champagne. I licked and sucked the tip until he groaned. He replaced his finger with his lips again and I happily licked and sucked them as well. He kissed my chin and then my neck, his beard brushing my sensitive skin. I threaded my fingers in the soft hair at the nape of his neck.

"Can I take your dress off?" he murmured. "Did I tell you how beautiful you looked tonight? I wanted to punch the sommelier in the mouth for staring at your legs."

"For the millionth time, he was trying to open the bottle; he was not looking at my legs."

"Yeah, right. But I can't really blame him. Stand up so I can unzip this sexy dress." I slid off of the bed and Edward swept my hair over my shoulder. I felt his warm breath on the back of my neck as he stood behind me and slowly pulled the zipper down, then slid the fabric from my shoulders until it fell around my feet. He groaned.

"Izzy…wow." I'd forgotten I was wearing the bra and panty set that Alice put in the garment bag- a black satin bandeau bra and a matching thong. His hands skimmed the sides of my body and then he softly squeezed my bottom. His hands slid up my back and he unhooked my bra, letting it drop. He tenderly kneaded my breasts.

"Wait one second." He removed his hands. I heard him moving around the room, the clink of glasses, and the rustling of the bedspread.

"Okay, baby. Lay down." He whispered, as he guided me back onto the bed. I lay back, inhaling the delightful fragrance of the rose petals. Edward pecked my lips and then pulled away. His fingers brushed across my nipples, teasing them. The mattress dipped next to me from his weight. He pulled my legs apart and I felt his soft lips graze my calf, then my knee, then he pressed open mouth kisses from the outside to the inside of my thigh. He kissed my mound over top of my panties. He pushed both of my legs straight up in the air and tugged the scrap of satin fabric up and off. My hips began moving in anticipation. He chuckled.

"I know what you want, baby." I heard a bit more rustling and then, finally, his warm tongue met my core. I squealed in pleasure and surprise and he groaned in response.

"You taste so good." He whispered. His tongue circled my entrance and then he began to thrust it in and out rhythmically. He held my legs open as he French kissed my pussy and I moaned in pleasure.

"Edward…mmmm…yes…yes…" I was undulating my hips, my needy clit desperate for attention but he was avoiding it. He bit my inner thighs, causing me to gasp, and then went back to licking and kissing my lower lips. His hands cupped my ass, pulling me tightly to him.

"Edward…" I whimpered.

"Tell me what you want." He murmured from between my legs.

"Please, Edward…"

"Tell me. You know I'll do anything you want…" He teased.

"Suck my clit." I breathed, barely audible.

"Like this?" He asked, flicking my swollen clit with his tongue before pulling it against his lips and sucking.

"So good. Oh my God…" I was gasping for breath as my body barreled toward the peak of ecstasy. My toes curled and my thighs trembled and then I shattered apart, crying out in pleasure. I floated back to earth slowly, as Edward stroked my body and planted kisses on the skin of my hips and stomach. He unexpectedly slid one finger inside of me, pushing in and out at a languid pace. He added another finger.

"Mmmm….that feels good." I moaned. He turned his hand so that his two fingers were rubbing against the front of my vaginal wall.

"Fuck!" I exclaimed. The sudden increase in pleasure frightened me a bit. "Edward?" I cried out in confusion.

"Just relax, baby. Let me make you feel good." He rubbed his fingers faster and added more pressure.

"Oh God…oh fuck Edward. Fuck…" my back arched and this time my entire body shuddered as wave after wave of euphoric pleasure cascaded through me. My body was still for a few seconds and then another tremor shook me. Edward wrapped me in his arms.

"Are you okay?" he asked. I nodded, my wild heartbeat finally beginning to slow. He took my blindfold off and I smiled, happy to see his eyes again. They had such depth; they comforted me, they challenged me, they seduced me.

"Why am I the only one without clothes?" I whispered with a pout. I kissed his neck and then bit down on his ear lobe. He rolled me off of him and stood up, quickly unbuttoning his shirt and pants and tossing his clothes onto the floor. When he pulled down his boxer briefs, his hard, thick dick popped out and I just had to taste it. I licked my lips and Edward beckoned me to him. I kneeled in front of him and took him into my mouth. He gathered my long hair in his hands and watched me as I sucked him.

"I love your cock." I said and kissed the broad tip.

"Oh yeah? Let me put it inside of you." I laid back down on the bed and he positioned himself between my legs. He pushed in, bit by bit.

"Izzy…" he breathed as he began to move. He started slowly and gradually quickened his pace until he was pounding into me and we were both moaning with pleasure between ferocious, sloppy kisses.

"Baby, you feel so fucking good." He groaned, holding my leg up and sliding in deeper. He growled sexily and the guttural sound made me shiver. My fingers clawed at his back, scratching his skin.

"Goddamn, Izzy…rub your clit…" I reached down and circled my clit furiously while Edward watched me.

"Are you gonna come for me, baby?" My whole body flushed with heat and a sob caught in my throat as I fell over the edge.

"Yes…yes, baby." He groaned, his thrusts losing momentum as he, too, succumbed to pleasure. I pushed the sweaty hair from his brow.

"I love you." I said.

"I love you, too."

~SD~

I was roused suddenly by an incessant tapping noise. I opened my eyes and looked around the dark room. Everything seemed normal. Then the tapping started again. It sounded like someone was knocking on the apartment door.

"Edward…Edward…" I whispered, patting his chest to gently wake him.

"What's wrong, Princess?" he mumbled.

"I think somebody's at the door." His eyes popped open when he heard the knocking as well.

"One of the neighbors probably complained about us having sex too loudly." He croaked, his voice gravelly with sleep. He glanced over at his clock. One forty three.

"Are you serious?" I cried, utterly embarrassed.

"Don't worry about it, baby. It was fucking worth it." He got up and went to his dresser, flashing me his adorable backside. He pulled on a pair of basketball short and padded out into the living room, yawning loudly.

"Who is it?" Edward called.

"It's me." I heard a man answer, their voice muffled by the door. The locks disengaged.

"Mike, what the fuck are you doing at my door at two in the morning?"

"I called you like ten times but you didn't answer."

"I was busy. What's up?"

"Demitri found the men that are following you and Izzy."


	25. Chapter 25

"Sit down, Mike. Let me go get Izzy." Edward said, suddenly sounding very awake. I heard his footsteps coming toward the bedroom. I was gingerly pulling one of his oversized T-shirts over my head by the time he entered the room. Large T-shirts and tank tops were the easiest tops to get on and off with my sling.

"Izzy…" he started.

"I heard." I pulled on a pair of pink sleep shorts. Edward opened his top drawer and was rooting around for a shirt for himself. I immediately noticed the bright red scratch marks on his right shoulder.

"Oh my God, Edward. I'm so sorry. I really scratched you." I frowned, lightly touching the inflamed area.

"Are you kidding me? I'm going to be thinking about how hot that was all day at work. You like it a little rough, huh, baby?" he teased, turning around from the dresser and wrapping his arms around my waist. He looked down at me with a grin.

"_I knew that you were going to be hot in bed. You seem to like it rough. I can give it to you rough."_

I pushed Edward away immediately. My heart started beating rapidly and I felt like I couldn't catch my breath.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his grin disappearing immediately.

"N-n-nothing." I stuttered. I wrapped my arms around my middle and backed up.

"Your face is white and you are shaking. Tell me what's wrong." Edward demanded.

"But Mike…"

"He can wait. Why are you trembling, Princess? What's wrong?" He put his hands on my shoulders and focused on my face, waiting for an answer.

"That night… Aro…when he was on top of me, he told me that since I liked it rough, he would give it to me rough. And then he started hitting my head on the ground…" I stopped, hot tears blurring my vision. I realized that I had never shared the specific details of what he'd said, not even with Angela or the police.

"Izzy…I love you. What we do with each other is out of passion – it's an expression of how we feel about each other. What that sick fuck did is about control. He tried to take something from you that you didn't want to give. I hope you know that I would _never_ hurt you like he did." He said emphatically.

"I know."

"Am I too rough with you? Tell me, baby, _please_. I thought you liked it but…" He pleaded with me.

"Edward, I do like it…I love it. It's just … hearing you say that I liked it rough took me back to that night and…"

"Maybe it's too soon. We don't have to…"

"I've never thought about him while we were together. Not once. That was just a trigger, I guess."

"Maybe you should tell me everything that he said to you so I can know…I don't want to hurt you and I don't want you to be scared of me."

"Okay. After Mike leaves." I suggested. Edward nodded and pulled me into his arms. I felt warm, safe, loved. He rubbed my back until I stopped shaking. I told him that I was going to the bathroom to splash water on my face and would be out in a few. He kissed my forehead and went into the living room.

"He said there are a couple different devices that he can use." Mike was saying when I joined them. I sat down on the sofa next to Edward; Mike was on the loveseat. Edward took my left hand and intertwined our fingers.

"Can you catch me up?" I asked.

"I'm sorry for getting you out of bed, but Demitri needs instructions." Mike explained. Even though it was two in the morning, Mike looked fresh as a daisy, dressed in a pair of grey trousers and a white collared shirt.

"Demitri is the guy you hired to follow us, right?" I inquired.

"Yes. He followed us tonight to the restaurant and that's when he noticed two guys in a black Ford tailing our cab, waiting outside of the restaurant about a block away, and then tailing our cab back here." Edward told me.

"Demitri said one guy is white, blonde hair, multiple tattoos. The other guy is black with long dreadlocks." Mike said. "Once you guys came back here, they left and Demitri followed them. Apparently they are staying in an apartment on top of a pawn shop in Brooklyn."

"Brooklyn?" I repeated, thoroughly confused.

"I did a little research to see who owned the building. The police searched property records under Aro's whole name-Aro Miklos- and they only came up with the house that he lives in, the address that he gave to you." Mike said. "This Brooklyn property is listed under Miklos Corp. So I searched to see how many other properties are owned by Miklos Corp. There are eleven in New York, all over."

"A couple in Brooklyn, one in the Bronx, four in Long Island and the rest in Manhattan." Edward told me.

"So what does this mean?" I inquired.

"Well first of all, it means that all of these properties and businesses are probably fronts for illegal activity. But more importantly, it means that he could be hiding out at any of these places." Mike said.

"So can't we tell the police that we did a property search and found these records and they should check them out?" I asked.

Edward and Mike both looked at each other.

"Demitri wants to bug the car and the Brooklyn apartment to find out as much information about Aro as we can before the police move in on them. He also wants to install a tracking device on the Ford." Mike finally said.

"Tell him to do it." Edward insisted.

"Ed, you realize that any information that is obtained will not be admissible in court since it was obtained illegally." Mike advised.

"Yes, I understand that. At least we'll have some idea of his plans and can stay one step ahead. And we can use the information to drop hints to the police anonymously through their tip line and hopefully put them on the right track."

"And if that doesn't work?" Mike inquired. "The wheels of justice can be slow. Getting warrants, performing searches- there can be a lot of red tape."

"Then I'll go after him myself." He said, looking at me.

~SD~

"So Izzy, tell me about what's happened since I last saw you?" Angela asked, after I got comfortable on the leather sofa. I caught her up, going through the reconciliation with Edward, the package from Aro, and the party at Edward's parents' house.

"Wow, Izzy. You've had a really busy week." She observed. "How are you feeling?"

"Better. I've been trying to talk out my feelings and it's been helping. I don't feel so overwhelmed all of the time."

"So you're sleeping better now?"

"Yes. Much better."

"And still no nightmares or anxiety attacks, right?"

"Well…there was one incident that was weird."

"Tell me about it." Angela encouraged, taking off her glasses and sitting on the edge of her seat.

"Edward took me on a date and we had an amazing time and when we got back he had a romantic thing all set up and we had an even more amazing time." I felt my face flushing.

"Ohhh this sounds really juicy." She joked.

"Things got very…heated and when we're together it's just so _good_. I kind of scratched him…" I admitted.

"I'm sure he didn't mind." She smirked.

"No, he didn't. He teased me and said that I liked it rough. And all of a sudden, I was back on the ground with Aro on top of me trying to pull my pants off. I started shaking and I felt so scared. Even though I was with Edward."

"Did Aro say something similar that night?"

"He said the exact same thing, that I liked it rough and that he would give it to me rough."

"Did you tell Edward how you were feeling and that you'd had a flashback?"

I nodded.

She smiled. "I am so proud of you. That was really brave. A lot of women don't share their trauma with their partners. Was he supportive?"

"He told me that he loved me and that he would never hurt me like Aro did. And he asked me if he was too rough with me. He even said that we didn't have to have sex if I wasn't ready."

"Wow, Izzy. He sounds like a really great guy. Are you sure he and your ex have the same parents?"

I laughed out loud. "My friend Rose has asked the same question."

"Do you feel like you're not ready?"

"Not at all. I love being with him. And I do like it when he's rough. Is that normal?"

"_Very_ normal. Women are socialized to believe that all we should want is quiet missionary sex but it's not true. Sometimes we like to be manhandled. Anything that is consensual is fair game. But what happened with Aro obviously wasn't consensual. If something happens that elicits that fear response again, talk about it. You're on the right track."

We wrapped up a few minutes later and I made an appointment for the following week. Rose was sitting in the waiting room, squinting at her cell phone.

"Stop being so vain and get some damn glasses." I chastised her. She'd gotten a prescription from the eye doctor two years before and it just sat in a drawer. Thank God she wasn't a surgeon.

"Shut up, there was a glare from the sun through the window and I couldn't read the screen." She explained, standing up. "Alice wants us to meet her at her job and go to dinner."

"Ummm, I'm not sure if that's a good idea." I said. With the threat of Aro and his goons hanging over my head, I tried not to go anywhere that wasn't absolutely necessary without Edward. But at the same time, I missed girl time with Rose and Alice. "Let me text Edward." I said as we walked to Rose's car

_**Do you think it would be alright if Alice, Rose and I went to dinner? -Izzy**_

_**Sure, Princess. Just be careful and stay together. How was your session? -Edward**_

After Mike had left and we'd talked more about what happened with Aro, I'd admitted to Edward that I had started seeing a therapist. He thought it was a great thing and was nothing but positive about it.

_**It was good. How's work? -Izzy**_

_**Awful. One of my clients is being charged with tax fraud and he swears that it's a mistake. I'm going to be working on this issue all weekend. -Edward**_

_**Well, he has the best lawyer in the world representing him :) -Izzy**_

_**I thought I was his only lawyer :( -Edward**_

_**You are so silly! I love you -Izzy**_

_**I love you too, Princess. Have fun with your friends. –Edward**_

"It's cool. Let's go eat." I said to Rose.

"Look at that humongous grin! You are sooooo in love." She teased as she maneuvered through traffic.

"I am, Rose. I have never felt this way about anyone before." I admitted.

"Has he said it to you yet?"

"Yes." I told her.

"Wow! Give me all the details…where were you…who said it first?" she wanted to know. I told her our story while we sat in Friday evening traffic. After what felt like forever, we pulled up in front of Eclipse.

"I'll call her and tell her to come outside. No way am I trying to park." Rose said. Five minutes later Alice was crawling into the backseat with a huge binder in her hands.

"What's that?" I asked, gesturing toward the book.

"Wedding stuff. We need to start planning." Alice said. Rose groaned. I didn't envy her at all; Alice was opinionated and sometimes she could be overbearing.

"Where do you want to go for dinner?" Alice inquired.

"How about sushi?" I suggested.

"Oh, there's a new Japanese place not far from here." Alice said excitedly. We all loved to try new restaurants. There was a long wait when we arrived, so we opted to sit at the bar until our table was ready. Alice sat between us and opened the binder.

"I have some dress ideas. You have the perfect figure so you can pull off pretty much anything." She flipped through the photos slowly.

"I like this one, Rose." I said, pointing to a strapless gown with a beaded lace bodice and a long tulle skirt.

"I was thinking something a little more form fitting. Like this one." She pointed to a gown with a satin bodice and a trumpet skirt.

"Hello, ladies. Twice in one week, huh?" All three of us turned simultaneously to face Emmett standing behind us. Fuck.

"Hello, Emmett." Alice said tonelessly. Rose totally ignored him, turned back around and sipped her martini.

"Hi Emmett." I greeted him and then I turned around as well. I prayed that he would go away but of course he didn't.

"Izzy, can I talk to you for a minute? Alone?"

"Emmett, why don't you just…" Rose started and I held my hand up to stop her.

"Emmett, we really don't have anything to say to each other. Have a good night." I told him, not even turning around.

"Izzy, I really miss you. I miss _us_."

"What?" I cried. I spun around and looked at him, my eyebrows furrowed. To say that I was flabbergasted would have been a gross understatement.

"I know you miss me too, babe. I saw you staring at me at my parents' house."

Alice choked on her drink.

"Emmett, I'm with Edward now."

"I'm willing to look past your mistake. You'll never have with him what we had." He insisted.

"Thank God." Rose muttered.

He leaned in and whispered in my ear. "I know he's not fucking you as good as I did." He licked my ear lobe. Ew.

I pushed him away. "Emmett, just stop. It's over."

"Alice, party of three…Alice, party of three!" The hostess called. We all stood up and grabbed our drinks.

"Good bye, Emmett. Say hi to Bree for me." I said as I brushed past him.

"Whatever. You two deserve each other. You're both fucking losers." Emmett mumbled as he walked away.

"I can't believe him!" Alice exclaimed.

"I can. He really believes he is God's gift to women." Rose surmised.

"I don't care what he believes anymore. I am totally and completely done with him. Rose, have you and Jake picked a wedding date yet?" I asked. And that was the end of that.

~SD~

"I'm home!" I called, shutting the door behind me. I listened for a response but there was none. Was Edward even home? I walked down the hallway to his office and pushed the door open. He was sitting at the massive desk and it was completely covered in various documents. The phone was nestled between his shoulder and cheek and he was typing rapidly on his laptop.

"I don't know if filing a motion to dismiss is the best option." He said into the phone. He smiled when he saw me and I leaned over and kissed his cheek and left him to his work. I puttered around the apartment, straightening up. There were a few dishes in the sink and Edward had left half of the pizza he'd ordered for his dinner on the counter.

I went into the bedroom and turned on my own computer. I had been working on a novel in my spare time for the last few months; I hadn't told anyone about it. I had always dreamed of writing a book, ever since I was a teenager. After college I had written for a newspaper for a couple years before I started writing grants, but my ultimate goal was to be an author. I tried to focus but all I could think about was how sexy Edward was when he was totally into his work. He was a handsome man, but his intelligence was very attractive to me, too. My mind began to wander and pretty soon I was aching for him.

I undressed and took a quick shower, donning a pair of red lace cheeky panties and a matching demi bra. Shameless. I sauntered down the hall to his office barefoot and peeked in. He wasn't on the phone, but he was paging through a thick book and making notes.

"Edward, I know you're busy, but I just need five minutes."

"Princess, I really can't…" he started to say, not even looking up from his book.

"Just five minutes." I interrupted. He looked up and his eyes grew wide. I crossed the room quickly, straddled his lap and kissed him feverishly. His arms came around me and he kissed me back. I reached between us and rubbed his cock, which was growing hard under my touch.

"Fuck, baby." He groaned. He unbuttoned his jeans and I reached into his boxers and pulled him out. I licked my palm and stroked him, up and down, relishing his velvety smoothness. He deftly reached between my legs.

"Baby…your panties are soaked." He whispered as he touched me. "What's got you so hot, naughty girl?"

"You…you're so sexy when you are working…it turns me on…I don't know why but it does." I breathed. I pulled the crotch of my panties aside, grabbed the back of his chair for leverage and sank down onto his cock. I moaned against his neck as he stretched me. He gripped my hips and I rode him for all I was worth, grinding and twisting my hips, my hair falling into his face.

"God, you feel so good, Edward…"

"Your pussy is so wet, baby. You're dripping…"

"I needed you so bad…"

"Does my dick feel good in your needy pussy?"

"So good…"

"You like it?"

"I fucking love it…you're so deep in my pussy…" I cried, completely uninhibited and lost in my pleasure.

"Goddamn, Izzy…"

"I'm gonna come…" I moaned. The phone on his desk began to ring.

"Don't stop, baby. Keep riding me. I'm close, too…"

"Yes…oh fuck!" I buried by face against his shoulder as I splintered apart, my muscles contracting violently around his cock. He squeezed my ass and he released into me, grunting with each spurt. Both of us were breathing hard, like we'd just run a race. The phone stopped ringing and immediately started again. I pecked his lips and got up from his lap and he answered the phone.

"Cullen."

After a quick stop in the bathroom, I went to the bedroom and got dressed for bed. I heard my cell phone chime, letting me know that I had a text message.

_**I have the hottest, sexiest girlfriend in the whole world. – Edward**_

_**Aren't you supposed to working? –Izzy**_

_**I can do two things at once. My client likes to talk, he's not so good at listening. You were a very bad girl tonight -Edward**_

_**I was…but it felt so good to be bad –Izzy**_

_**I liked the bad girl in her devilishly red lingerie, just taking what she wants. Hopefully she can come out and play again –Edward**_

_**I'm sure you haven't seen the last of her. – Izzy**_

_**I love you, Izzy. So much. – Edward**_

_**I love you, too. So much. -Izzy**_


	26. Chapter 26

"This is the life." Rose moaned.

"Can you imagine if we could get rubbed like this all the time?" Alice mused aloud.

"It's even better than sex." I added.

"Nah." We all said together, giggling. We were at the spa, getting our full body deep tissue massages. My masseuse, Brooke, was doing a phenomenal job. I was only fifteen minutes in and I already felt boneless and completely relaxed. My eyes drifted closed.

"So what are you and Edward doing for your birthday?" Alice asked.

"He doesn't know my birthday is next week."

"You didn't tell him?" Alice inquired.

"How do I bring it up tactfully? 'Oh by the way Edward, my birthday is on Tuesday. Don't feel obligated to do anything though.'"

"I'm sure he would want to know." Rose said.

"Maybe I'll wear a party hat all day on Tuesday." I joked. Rose tittered and Alice just snorted.

Alice's active mind switched to the next topic on her agenda. "So you definitely want a May wedding, Rose? That's really not enough time."

"It's more than enough time for what we want."

"Every venue that is worth anything is already booked for every Friday night, Saturday and Sunday in May, June and July of next year. I called ten different places and…"

"Alice, we want a destination wedding." Rose interrupted her. Alice let out a strangled gasp.

"What?" she cried.

"Maybe we should save this discussion for another time." I suggested. "We are trying to relax and Alice's blood pressure is probably sky high right now."

"No, this is the perfect time because she is confined to a table and can't throw anything at me. Alice, most of my family is in Texas and they would have to fly in to New York anyway. They can just fly to the Caribbean instead. And we don't want a big wedding. Just close family and friends. The only bridesmaids will be you guys and Jake's sister, Rachel. And I'll still need your help with the dresses and tuxedos and flowers…"

"Destination weddings are so…so…ugh!" Alice huffed in frustration.

"Look, I really wanted to go to the justice of the peace..." Rose admitted.

"Shut up, Rose, I think Alice is hyperventilating." I said.

"Jake is the one who suggested a destination wedding on an exotic island. That was our compromise. Neither of us wants what you want and _we_ are the ones who are getting married. I hope you can accept our wishes."

Alice was quiet for several minutes. "Izzy, do you think you and Edward will be getting married any time soon?" she finally said.

"Alice, you are a fucking lunatic." I said and the three masseuses couldn't help but laugh under their breath.

~SD~

I got home around four and I heard the shower running. I had started to think of Edward's apartment as home which was weird. I had only been staying with him for a few weeks and still had my apartment but I didn't miss my place at all.

I went into the kitchen to start dinner. I was in the mood for something cheesy. Maybe mac and cheese. I searched through the cabinets for the box of elbow pasta that we'd bought a few days ago. The bathroom door opened and Edward came out, swathed in a black towel, droplets of water still dripping down his chest. Yum.

"Hey, you." I said. He jumped a bit, startled to hear my voice and then chuckled to himself.

"Hey, Princess…I didn't even hear you come in." Edward said, strolling over to me and kissing my lips.

"Your client finally stopped calling you?" I asked pulling the box of macaroni from the top shelf. He hadn't gotten to bed until after two the night before and was awakened at eight that morning.

"For now. How was the spa?" He asked, sitting down at the kitchen bar.

"It was great. The massage felt so good."

He raised an eyebrow. "Was the massage therapist male or female?"

"Female." I told him.

"Good." He said. I rolled my eyes.

"We got manicures and pedicures, too. Look." I said, showing him my electric pink fingernails and toenails. "This color is called mod squad." I explained.

"Very sexy." He noted. "Very suckable."

I thought about him sucking my toes and wrinkled my nose. "I don't think I would be into that. At all."

"Is there anything that you think you _would_ be into that you want to try?"

My face heated up and I looked down.

"Oh baby, don't be shy. It's just me. And you know I love pleasuring you. Any fantasies?"

I laughed nervously. "I feel so inexperienced. But we never did get around to using that vibrator and I am a bit curious."

"Mmmm…I could hold the vibrator on your clit while I eat you out. You think you would like that?" He asked, his voice husky and his eyes watching me intently.

"Yeah." I whispered. My body heated up with desire. "Do you have any thing that you want to do…with me?"

"Oh hell yeah." He said with a smirk.

"Like what?"

"So many things…I'd rather show you, though. Come here." He extended his hand and I took it, excited and a little nervous about what he wanted to try. He pulled me into the bedroom and backed me up onto the bed. He crawled over top of me and kissed me, pulling off items of clothing slowly. I grabbed his towel and threw it aside. Our lips moved hungrily against each other's and our hands touched and stroked.

"Mmmm…" I moaned as he sank two fingers into me. He rubbed my sweet spot but then he pulled his fingers away. He sat up against the headboard and pulled me on top of him.

"I like this so far." I said, giggling.

"I think this is your favorite position." He laughed with me. We both groaned as I slid down on him and began to move. It felt so good, every single time. He tongued my sensitive nipples and bit down gently. He grabbed my ass tightly, squeezing and massaging and I buried my head into his neck, crying out in pure bliss as we grinded against each other. I felt his finger rub between my cheeks until he was pressing against my other entrance. I immediately froze.

"How does that feel?" he whispered.

"I don't know…it feels...different." That was only way I could explain it.

"Relax, baby." He said and he continued to thrust upwards. He rubbed and added more pressure to the area and it started to feel…good. I started to move against him and the combination of the dual pleasurable sensations was amazing.

"Oh my God." I moaned.

"Mmmm, baby, I feel you getting wetter." He brought a finger up to his mouth and moistened it thoroughly. "Relax, Izzy. If this hurts, tell me."

He pressed against my other entrance again, rubbing with increasing pressure and then I could feel him pushing his finger in, just a little but, maybe an inch. It didn't hurt but it was unfamiliar at first. Once I got used to the feeling, I enjoyed it. The nerve endings there were extremely sensitive. He stroked his finger in and out slowly.

"Oh my God, Edward. I'm going to come." I wailed, surprising myself as I fell over the edge into an abyss of unbridled ecstasy and my brain stopped functioning. When I regained consciousness, Edward was groaning my name and had his head thrown back against the headboard. I bit his exposed neck.

"Fuck, Izzy!" He growled and gripped my ass harder than he ever had as he came.

"You are such a naughty girl." He said through gritted teeth, smacking my ass.

"Fuck…" I moaned wantonly. He was softening inside of me, but he didn't let that stop him. He circled my still sensitive clit with the thumb of one hand while rubbing my other entrance with his other hand.

"Can you come again, baby?" Of course I could; my back arched and my mouth opened in a silent scream as the coil snapped.

"Good girl." He groaned as I rested my forehead against his.

"That was intense." I breathed.

"Are you okay? Did I go too far?" he asked, concerned as always.

"Not at all. I like that I can let myself go with you."

"You feel like you can't let yourself go with others?" He asked, shifting his body so he could look into my eyes.

"I'm not talking about just sexually…"

"I know…"

"Yeah, sometimes I feel like I hold a part of myself back, but with you I feel safe." I told him.

"I feel the same way about you. I've never had that with anyone." He admitted softly.

"I love you."

"God, Izzy. I love you, too." He kissed me. His phone began to ring. He grumbled several expletives under his breath.

"I'm so sorry, Princess. Shit." He got up and answered it.

"Cullen." His professional voice was back. I started redressing as he talked.

"Hey, what's up…holy shit…damn it…okay…okay…yeah I'm home…okay." He said and hung up.

"Mike is coming over. He said the listening device Demitri put on the car caught some important information that we need to hear immediately."


	27. Chapter 27

Edward put on a pair of jeans and a shirt and I went to the kitchen to get back to my macaroni and cheese. My hands shook slightly as I poured the pasta into the boiling water. This thing with Aro seemed to be never ending and I was frightened about the urgency of the new information. I longed to feel safe again and vowed to cherish each moment of normalcy if Aro was finally stopped. My heartbeat increased, the thumping, rhythmic sound whooshing in my ears. What if he was never caught? I closed my eyes and breathed deeply in an attempt to calm my anxiety. Mike showed up a few minutes later with an envelope in his hand. I abandoned my macaroni and cheese once again, turning the burner off, and sat in the living room with Edward and Mike.

"Edward, just to reiterate, the technology Demitri used to bug the car is illegal so we can never share this information or how it was obtained." Mike said as soon as he sat down.

"Understood."

"Demitri downloaded the snippets that were of interest to us onto a flash drive." Mike told us.

"You didn't meet with him, did you?" Edward asked, looking alarmed.

"Come on, Ed, I'm no amateur. He did a dead drop."

"Dead drop?" I asked.

"Yeah. He hid the flash drive in our agreed upon location and I retrieved it." Mike explained.

"Let me get my laptop so we can listen." Edward said, standing up. He left and returned a few seconds later with his computer. After the drive was inserted, Edward clicked on the singular file that was on the drive and we waited. Ear splitting heavy metal music blasted through the speakers and Edward turned the sound down a bit. Finally we heard talking.

"The boss said his plane is coming in tonight at 9:30." Said one voice. The voice was deep and there was a hint of an accent- maybe French? I had to strain to hear over the Pantera song playing in the background.

"What airport is he flying into this time? Teterboro again?" another voice asked. This voice was raspy and softer.

"No, Atlantic City Airport."

"Fuck, we gotta ride all the way down to AC?"

"Yeah…and no stopping at the casinos."

"The old fuck is crazy. All this for some broad?"

"I don't ask no questions and I ain't got time to psychoanalyze his ass. As long as he keeps paying me, I don't care."

"Stop here. I wanna get something to eat before we get on the turnpike. I'm fucking starving."

There was a couple seconds of silence and then the talking resumed.

"Geez, you are a sloppy eater. Don't get ketchup on the upholstery!" The deep voiced man grumbled.

"Whatever, Miss Manners. So what's the plan for the girl? Did he mention anything about that in your conversation? And how come he does all of his communication through you? Am I not good enough for him to call?" the raspy voiced man complained, his words a bit garbled as he chewed.

"He said you ask too many questions."

"Fuck him and his uptight, pale-faced ass."

The deep voiced man chuckled. "He wants us to bring her to him."

"Bring her to him? How the fuck are we supposed to do that? That apartment building has crazy security."

"I know. But she leaves occasionally. Unfortunately she is usually with the lawyer."

"I'm confused. Is she with the lawyer or is she with the big guy from Volturi? Or is she doing them both?"

"I don't fucking know. She is staying with the lawyer but tonight she was all over the big guy at the bar in the sushi restaurant. I could see her through the window from my post across the street."

His partner snorted. "And Miklos is all caught up with this whore? I mean she's hot and her ass is outstanding, but there are other hot women in the tri state area."

"See, Jimmy, the boss is right. With you there _are_ always too many damn questions. Here's what I think we should do…we know they like that grocery store around the corner from the apartment building. I think I should grab the lawyer and you grab the girl next time they go."

"Grab the lawyer? What are you going to do with him, El?"

"Just threaten him, flash my gun. I don't want to catch a body. While I have him, you take the girl to the car."

"Hmm…what about the cameras around the grocery store? Not to mention the cameras at the bank across the street…"

"Fuck, you're right. We'll have to catch them on the small street between the apartment and the market. That's all residential."

"Okay. We'll move our post there until we catch them."

We sat for a few seconds and continued to listen, but that seemed to be the end of the file that Demetri sent.

"So now we know their plan." Mike said as Edward removed the flash drive and handed it back to Mike.

"I guess we have to stay away from the grocery store from now on." I said.

"It's probably best if you don't leave the building at all for a while. We know now that their intention is to kidnap you." Mike said.

"Can't we send an anonymous tip to the police about this?" I asked.

"There's nothing they can do unless an attempt was actually made." Mike told me. Edward was curiously quiet and Mike and I both looked over at him.

"We can just have groceries delivered. Thanks, Mike." Edward mumbled, standing up. Mike stood up as well and followed him to the door, looking a little confused.

"You okay, Ed?" Mike inquired as Edward opened the door.

"Yeah. I'm just in the middle of prepping a case and then this bullshit…" he explained absently.

"Well, if you need me, call me." Mike said before Edward pushed the door closed.

"I think we should call the police. We can tell them that a suspicious car…" I trailed off when I saw the angry look on Edward's face.

"I thought you were going out with Rose and Alice yesterday." He growled, his green eyes piercing mine with their intensity.

"I did…"

"Oh, well how the _fuck_ did these assholes see you in a sushi restaurant with Emmett?"

"He was there…" I started.

"Did you go to this restaurant to meet with him?" he asked, interrupting me.

"No! No, Edward! I would never…" I tried to explain but he interrupted me again.

"Well, why are they saying that you were all over him? How could you fucking do this to me?"

"It wasn't like that Edward…"

"If there wasn't anything suspicious happening, why didn't you tell me that you saw Emmett at the restaurant when you came home? Instead, you put on lingerie, came into my office and fucked me. Was that a guilt fuck? Or did Emmett get you so hot and bothered that you just needed dick and any dick would do?" He bellowed. Tears streamed down my face as I shook my head emphatically.

"No, Edward. I love you. I wouldn't do that to you!" I cried.

"I can't even fucking look at you right now!" He shouted, turning toward the door. I stood up and reached for him, but he shook me away and stormed out of the door after grabbing his car keys and phone. He slammed the door with so much force that I jumped.

I spent the next hour calling him and texting him, explaining that Emmett just happened to be at the restaurant and that I had rebuffed his advances, but Edward didn't respond to my texts or answer my calls.

I sobbed quietly as I packed up my things. Edward didn't want me anymore. It was time for me to go back home.


	28. Chapter 28

"Miss Swan, can I help you?" Seth called to me as I bumbled through the lobby with my duffel, laptop and suitcase with only one good arm. He jogged over and took my suitcase and duffel from me.

"Yeah, I called a taxi and I could use help getting my crap outside." I admitted quietly. I didn't meet his eyes; I didn't want him to see how red and swollen my own were.

"Are you meeting Mr. Cullen? I just saw him run out of here a little bit ago." He asked as we walked through the revolving doors.

"Nah, just going to hang out with some friends." I lied as my eyes swept up and down the street. I hadn't had a chance to ask Mike what kind of car Aro's men were driving before Edward had abruptly ended the discussion, so I didn't even know what I was looking for. But I had to take the chance; I figured if I could just get into my apartment safely I'd be home free.

"Seth, do you mind waiting with me until the taxi comes? It should be here any minute." I said.

"Sure, no problem. Saturday nights behind the desk are usually boring. Just a bunch of food deliveries."

"So when is your fiancée due?" I asked. Seth had told me excitedly one morning that his fiancée was pregnant and that they were expecting a boy. We talked about cribs and baby names for the next few minutes until my taxi pulled up. I held out a folded twenty dollar bill and Seth shook his head vigorously.

"No, Miss Swan. It was my pleasure."

"Seth, stop it. You always look out for me and I appreciate it." I told him, thrusting the money at him.

"Thanks, Miss Swan." He said with his trademark smile as the taxi driver put my bags in the trunk. He took the money and slid it into his pocket.

"Izzy." I said.

"Izzy. I'll see you later…?"

"Bye, Seth." I said as I got into the cab. I gave the driver my address and settled into the worn seat. As we drove down the familiar street approaching my building, I couldn't help but think back to the first night Edward and I shared a cab back to my apartment, the crazy stupid idea that started it all. My eyes watered but I willed the tears not to fall.

"Hey, can you help me carry my stuff up to my apartment? I'll tip." I promised when he pulled to a stop. He nodded and put on his four ways and we both exited the taxi. I grabbed my computer bag from the trunk and he took my other bags. A tall black man with long dreadlocks walked behind the taxi driver, very closely, and suddenly the taxi driver was on the ground convulsing and muttering in Arabic as his limbs flailed, my bags forgotten on the street. The black man kept walking down the street calmly, not glancing at me or the taxi driver who was writhing on the ground. I reached down to help the unnerved driver up and I felt a hard nudge in the small of my back.

"Don't fucking scream and you won't get hurt. Walk with me and act like you know me." A familiar raspy voice whispered. I nodded.

"Hey, let's go grab a beer, sweetie." He said out loud, wrapping his arm around my waist and pulling me into him.

"Sounds good." I said, faking a smile. I was face to face with the gruff voice I'd heard a couple hours earlier. He was younger than I'd expected, thirtyish, and more attractive. He was tall and slim, with long sandy brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail. His dark eyes were watching me carefully as we moved to the sidewalk. He reeked of cigarette smoke, his arm around me made my skin crawl, and my heart was beating faster than a hummingbird on meth, but I tried to act natural.

"Miss…your bags?" the driver choked out, still unable to move.

"Oh, just leave them on the sidewalk. We'll get them in a few. Here you go, buddy." My captor said, tossing a hundred dollar bill at him and pulling me down the street.

"What did you do to him?" I whispered when we were out of earshot.

"It was just a Taser-he'll be fine. He probably thinks he had a seizure or something." He said tersely.

"You can let go of me now." I told him through gritted teeth.

"If you try to run, I will shoot you. Don't test me." He growled as he released me from his firm grip. My cell phone began to ring from my jeans pocket with Edward's ring tone. He looked at me and squinted.

"Answer it." He demanded.

"What?"

"Answer it and tell whoever it is that you're tired and that you're just hanging out at your apartment tonight. And no funny business or I will fucking break your other arm. You got me?" he snapped. I nodded and fished my phone from my pocket.

"Hello?"

"Izzy! I'm so fucking sorry for losing my temper. I know you're mad and you have a right to be but I want to talk to you. I _need_ to talk to you. Where are you? Back at Alice's?" Edward asked. He sounded contrite.

"No, I'm just going to stay at my apartment tonight. I'm super tired." I said.

"You went back to your apartment? I don't feel comfortable with you staying there by yourself. You don't have to stay with me, but I'd rather you stay with Alice or Rose."

The raspy voiced man was motioning for me to end the call.

"Nah, I think I'll just stay in and watch television. Oh, I didn't make it to the grocery store earlier so you'll have to go."

"Grocery store? I thought we said…" he murmured, trailing off, his voice baffled. Then he took a deep breath. "Okay, princess. I'll take care of it. I love you. So much, baby. So much." He said emphatically and I knew he understood what I was trying to convey.

"I love you, too. Bye." I whispered. The man tugged my cell phone from my hand and threw it onto the sidewalk, smashing it under his boot.

"Come on." He grunted. He pulled my arm and we continued down the street. He pushed me roughly against an old Lincoln.

"Get in." he commanded. I opened the back door and slid into the corner of the backseat and the raspy voiced guy jumped into the passenger seat.

"You can't fucking bring that computer with you." The dreadlocked ebony man barked at me from the driver's seat with a French accent.

"Please, I need it. It has all of my work documents on it. I can't leave it!" I pleaded.

He grabbed the bag and wrenched my laptop out. He swiftly pulled it apart and threw all of the various pieces into the bag and tossed the bag into the backseat with me. He pulled away from the curb and into traffic without another word.

"Where does he want her?"

"He said meet him at Teterboro."

Oh fuck. I tried not to cry as reality hit home. If I got on a plane with Aro, no one would ever see me again. Trying to hold on to my computer seemed pretty pointless now. Deafening speed metal filled the car as we weaved through the streets of Manhattan and pulled onto the George Washington Bridge. We were on the inside lane, moving quickly, when I noticed another car to the right keeping pace with us. The man in the driver seat of the silver Taurus was staring at me as if he knew me. He motioned for me to put on my seatbelt when we made eye contact. I furrowed my brow but followed his instruction. His window slid down and I saw him discreetly raise a black gun and aim it at the car I was riding in. He pointed at the front tire on the passenger side and pulled the trigger. I braced myself as the tire exploded and the car swerved and careened into the divider at full speed, causing the airbags to inflate. The impact spun the Lincoln into the middle lane of the bridge.

"What the fuck!" the raspy voice guy yelled as the SUV behind us was unable to stop in time and crashed into the rear of the car and the car spun again, coming to a stop in the far right lane. I wasted no time; I immediately opened the car door, jumped out and ran, pulling my bag with me as I sprinted along the white dotted lines between the lanes. I tripped on a piece of road debris, my knee hitting the concrete before I caught myself with my left hand. I got up and ignored the debilitating pain in my knee and kept running. The silver Taurus pulled up next to me.

"Get in." he demanded. I opened the passenger door and he peeled off before I'd even closed the door. I turned around and saw that traffic on the bridge going toward New Jersey was at a complete standstill.

"I gotta switch cars and then I'll take you to your boyfriend's parents' house." He told me. He lifted a cell phone to his ear.

"I got her." He said into the phone.


	29. Chapter 29

The man who'd rescued me made another call as we flew down the highway and into the night.

"Meet me at the shopping center right off of Route 4. Fifteen minutes." He ended the call and stuffed his cell phone back into his pocket.

"I guess you're Demitri." I said after a few moments of silence. His car was completely quiet, no music or talk radio, just the whir of passing cars. He nodded.

"Thanks." I said, turning to look at him. He was about fifty with thick dark hair that was balding a little on top. His heavy lidded brown eyes never met mine; he was too busy checking his mirrors. He nodded again.

"You've really got yourself mixed up in some nasty business." Demetri muttered.

"Yeah, tell me about it." I mumbled.

"Jimmy and El are career criminals who are easily bought, but they aren't smart. That's why Miklos uses them. Easily disposable."

"You think he'll kill them?" I asked incredulously.

"He won't do it himself. But they'll end up suspiciously dead and probably dumped into the Hudson."

"Why?" I asked. I didn't like them but I didn't want them to die. They were just greedy hoodlums following the instructions of a madman.

"They got into a huge car accident and caused a pileup on a major bridge with hundreds of witnesses and Port Authority cameras that captured you jumping out of a wrecked car and hopping into another one and speeding away. It's going to be on the news. There's going to be an investigation. He has no use for them anymore- they are a liability." He explained.

"Shit. I'm going to be on the news?" I covered my face with my hand.

"Probably. I don't know how identifiable you'll be. That's why I suggested you lay low for a while in Jersey."

"Are you…like them?" I wanted to know.

"A criminal? No, not quite. I do illegal things for money… okay, I guess I _am_ a criminal but a good criminal. If there's a such thing." He finished with a sardonic chuckle.

"So now what? Do we call the police?"

"No point. Miklos is too slippery for them and they don't have the manpower to devote to this guy. He'll probably go overseas and regroup. When he comes back next time, we'll need to be prepared." He remarked as he turned into a Walmart parking lot. He rode up one row and then back down and pulled back onto the street, a black Camry in tow. We rode around circuitously for a few minutes with Demitri mumbling under his breath about cameras and finally he pulled over on a quiet street.

"Come on." He said opening his car door. I did the same and two gentlemen exited the other vehicle as well. One was tall and barrel chested with a bald head, the other was a short Latino man with a wispy mustache and tattoos on his face.

"Is it clean?"

"Yeah, it's clean." The shorter man said. "Who's the girl?"

"None of your fucking business. You have the plates?"

"Yeah. We'll switch them out before we dump the car in Newark."

"Tell them to strip it. Here." Demetri thrust an envelope of cash at the short guy. "And you can keep the money from the parts."

"Thanks, D." The big guy said and handed over the keys. We both got in the black car and back on the road, the entire exchange taking about a minute. He pulled out his cell phone again.

"I'm on my way, ten minutes out…okay…okay." He crammed the phone into his shirt pocket and looked at me.

"No more running off. It's not safe. This is not a game." He told me sternly. I nodded my head, thoroughly chastened by the consequences of my impulsive actions. We drove quietly the rest of the way to the Cullens. Edward was pacing on the sidewalk with his iPhone in his hand and darted over to the car when we stopped. I stepped out and Edward picked me up and hugged me. I wrapped my arms around his neck and savored his feel, his unique scent, everything about him that I thought I would never experience again.

"Thank you." He said simply to Demitri. He nodded and drove away.

Edward's green eyes were watery as he pressed his forehead against mine.

"Izzy, I don't think I've ever been so scared in my life."

"I shouldn't have left…"

"The things I said to you were awful… fuck, you're bleeding and shivering. Let's go inside." I looked down for the first time and saw that there was a huge blood stain on the left knee of my jeans. The warm day had cooled significantly after the sun had set and my bare arms were covered in goosebumps.

Dr. Cullen and Esme were sitting in the living room and they immediately jumped up when they saw me.

"Oh, Izzy! We were so worried!" Esme cried.

"Bring her into my office." Dr. Cullen said and we followed him down the hall, past the bathroom where Edward and I had our little tryst and into his spacious home office.

"Set her down on the sofa, son." Dr. Cullen commanded. Edward laid me gently down onto the black leather couch and took my computer from me, putting it aside. Esme stood back, wringing her hands.

"Is it okay if I pull your pant leg up and take a look at your knee? What happened?"

"I tripped over a piece of tire or something and fell." I said as Dr. Cullen rolled my jeans up. Edward, Esme and I gasped when we saw the bloody tear on my knee.

"That's a pretty serious laceration, Izzy. I'm going to wash my hands and clean it up for you. I might have to stitch it up but I'll know better after I clean it up." He rushed off and was back in a minute, snapping gloves onto his hands. He worked quickly, cleansing the wound while Edward held me.

"Can I get you some water, Izzy?" Esme asked, her pretty face etched with concern.

"Yes, please." I croaked and she left quickly.

"Izzy, I think you are going to need a few sutures. I have some lidocaine, but it's still going to hurt." He explained. Esme came back in with a bottle of water.

"Have you ever taken Valium before?" Dr. Cullen asked. I shook my head. He stood up and went to his desk, retrieving a small, round, sky blue pill.

"I'm going to give you a Valium before I stitch you up. It will help you relax. You're not pregnant, are you?"

"Dad!" Edward cried.

"Edward, I have to ask before I give her the medication."

"No, I'm on birth control." I told him quietly. He gave me the pill and I took it, chasing it with the cold water. He carefully picked the gravel out of my left hand and cleaned up the scrapes and cuts there as well.

"Izzy, if you don't mind me asking, why were you alone?" Esme asked.

I looked at Edward. "I just was stopping at my apartment to pick up a couple things. I thought I'd be okay."

Edward rolled his eyes. "No, it was my fault. We had an argument and I lost my temper and said some horrible things and then I left. I don't blame her for leaving."

"Edward." Esme chastised, her mouth in a firm line.

"Trust me, Mom, you can't make me feel any worse than I already do."

"I'll go get the guest room ready for you both." Esme said, casting a disappointed look Edward's way before leaving the room.

"What time is it?" I asked. It was beginning to feel like the longest twenty four hours ever. Edward glanced at his watch.

"It's after ten. Tired?" he asked and I nodded. He lovingly tucked a stray tendril of hair behind my ear.

"I'll stitch you up and then you can go to bed." Dr. Cullen said. He readied his instruments and injected the lidocaine into the wound. He worked slowly and methodically and I barely felt anything. My eyes began to droop and I could feel my extremities relax.

"Looks like the Valium is kicking in. Just a few more minutes." Dr. Cullen promised.

"This turned from the best day ever to the worst day ever. I had an amazing massage at the spa this morning and then I had the most incredible sex I've ever had…" I slurred. My jaw felt slack, like it was off its hinges or something.

"Izzy…" Edward whispered.

"It was, Edward. It was so good. You make me feel so good all the time." I murmured as I struggled to keep my eyelids open.

Dr. Cullen lips were pursed as he tried to stifle a laugh.

"It's not funny, Dad. You better not ever bring this up."

"Relax, Edward. I do have some degree of professionalism. She's not the first person to share secrets while medicated."

"I shouldn't have left the apartment but I thought you didn't want me anymore. Do you still want me?" I asked, unable to hold my lids open another second.

"Izzy, I don't think it's possible for me to not want you. Isn't that how this all started?" Edward quipped.

"Ilufoo…" I mumbled incoherently before I fell into a deep, much needed sleep.


	30. Chapter 30

I woke up suddenly, desperately needing to use the bathroom. Edward's arm was draped over my waist and I gently extracted myself, trying not to awaken him. He groaned quietly and rolled over but he didn't wake up. I tiptoed though the dark room and opened the door and gently closed it behind me. I looked right and left, trying to guess where the bathroom could be. I certainly didn't want to accidentally open the door to Edward's parents' bedroom. Luckily, the bathroom door was cracked a bit so I didn't have to embarrass myself.

When I turned on the light in the bathroom and looked down, I realized that I was no longer dressed in jeans and a tank top; I had on a pair unfamiliar cotton shorts and one of Edward's t-shirts. As I sat on the toilet, I thought back to the previous night and I couldn't for the life of me remember changing my clothes. The last thing I could recall was Dr. Cullen cleaning the wound on my knee. I washed my hands, one biological need aside and then another popped up- I was starving. Completely famished. Which made sense since the last meal I'd had was Saturday morning and it was now…I had no clue what time it was. My cell phone was smashed on a sidewalk in New York and I never wore a watch. I crept down to the kitchen, hoping to find some cereal and milk.

"Hi, Dr. Cullen." I murmured, a bit surprised as I turned the corner and spotted him. He was sitting at the small kitchen table with a steaming mug and a laptop in front of him, the early morning darkness a backdrop behind his still form. I couldn't help but think of how similar he looked to Edward.

"Good morning, Izzy. Are you feeling okay? In any pain?" He inquired, looking up from the computer and squinting down at my knee.

"Oh no, I'm fine. I'm just really hungry. Is it okay if I eat something?" I asked. Dr. Cullen was kind, but I was still a bit intimidated by him.

"Help yourself. There are eggs and bacon in the fridge, there are bagels in the bread box and there is cereal in the far right cabinet." He told me. I found a bright red ceramic bowl and poured some Life cereal and milk in before joining him at the table.

"Even though I'm retired, after thirty five years my body automatically wakes up at five every morning." He mused as he sipped his coffee. "For the first couple of weeks I lay in the bed and tossed and turned, but Esme told me to just get up so she could fucking go back to sleep."

I giggled. He looked at me, his eyes thoughtful and perceptive.

"Edward and Emmett are as different as night and day, but the one thing that they share is a bad temper. They get that from their mother." He said with a smirk. "The first years of our marriage, Esme and I argued over everything. I was a resident operating on little sleep and she's always been fiery and passionate. We had the cops called on us a couple times."

"Really?" I couldn't imagine distinguished Dr. Cullen and his refined wife screaming and yelling at each other.

"Oh, yeah. And I wasn't used to that. I thought our marriage was in jeopardy and not wanting to face that, I just stopped coming home. I stayed at the hospital. That worked for about a week before she barged into the on call room and accused me of having an affair."

"Oh no." I groaned.

"Over the years we've learned that communication is necessary for any relationship to work. We still argue and sometimes her temper gets the best of her and sometimes my reticence causes misunderstandings but we get each other and we don't jump to the worst possible conclusion anymore."

I nodded as I spooned cereal into my mouth. We sat in comfortable silence, Dr. Cullen sipping his coffee and reading e-mails while I poured a second bowl of cereal.

"You connect." He said suddenly.

"Huh?" I uttered, not sure if he was talking to me or simply talking out loud about something he was reading on his screen.

"You and Edward." He replied.

"Ummm…" I was uncertain about where he was going with the conversation.

"I can't lie, I was…concerned….when I discovered that you went from dating Emmett to dating his brother. I thought…well it doesn't matter what I thought. In your interactions I can see that you connect. Powerfully. You care for each other. A lot."

"I do care for him, very much. Emmett…" I started, but Dr. Cullen held up a hand to stop me.

"Emmett is not emotionally ready to have the type of relationship that you and Edward have. Maybe that's my fault because I doted on him a bit too much and that made him too self-centered. But either way- I get it. Getting to know you and knowing Edward, this relationship…"

"Carlisle! Carlisle! Turn on the news…channel 4 right now!" Esme called from upstairs, interrupting Dr. Cullen. He picked up a remote control that I hadn't noticed on the table and turned on the small flat screen affixed on the wall.

"…caused over an hour delay on the westbound George Washington Bridge just after nine o'clock last night. There were at least four vehicles involved in the crash. What at first appeared to be a run of the mill traffic accident is now turning into possibly the scene of a crime." The pretty brunette anchor was saying.

"Take a look at this footage the Port Authority just released this morning. At first glance it seems that the front tire on this Lincoln simply blew but if we slow the video down…" The footage was grainy but the barrel of the gun could clearly be seen pointing from the window of the car next to the Lincoln. And if anyone couldn't see, the graphics department had circled the gun in yellow and had also drawn an arrow pointing out the trajectory of the bullet.

"And the footage gets even more bizarre. Watch as a young woman flees the spinning car and runs down the center of the lanes of traffic and then hops into the car where the bullet originated." I watched myself on video running, falling and then getting into the car with Demetri.

"Port Authority police are searching for answers. The license plate number on the Ford Taurus is New York XTV-3319. If anyone has any information about this car or this incident, please contact the Port Authority police at 201-555-3500."

"In other news, in Brooklyn last night there were…" Carlisle flicked the television off once the next story began. Now I understood why Demetri was in such a hurry to get rid of the car.

"That footage was…" Carlisle was clearly speechless.

"Yeah."

"You are an extraordinarily brave young woman." He said as he got up to pour another cup of coffee. He patted my shoulder affectionately as he walked by me toward the coffee pot.

Esme walked into the kitchen looking fresh in a long turquoise dressing gown.

"Izzy, you're awake! Oh honey, did you see the news? It's one thing to hear about it but it's completely different to actually _see_ it. You must have been so scared!" she exclaimed.

"I was. I thought…" I looked down, unable to finish the morbid thought.

"It's okay, honey. That man rescued you and you're here with us, safe and sound." She said, leaning down and wrapping her arms around me. "I'm going to make us a real breakfast."

Esme had started frying bacon and mixing pancake batter when Edward came around the corner all bleary eyes and messy hair with his phone in his hand.

"Rose and Alice are on the phone." He said, handing me the phone.

"Hello?"

"Oh my God, Izzy. Are you okay? We saw the news…" Rose said.

"I recognized your top. I remember when you bought it in April at Bloomingdales…" Alice piped in.

"…and we called your phone and it went straight to voicemail. So we called Edward. What the hell happened?" Rose finished.

I got up and excused myself from the kitchen. I walked into the living room and sat on the sofa.

"They tried to kidnap me." I finally said.

"Who? Aro?" Rose asked.

"His men. Two guys that he hired."

"Did they hurt Edward? How did they get to you?" Alice asked.

"I was…alone." I admitted.

"Why were you alone?" Rose inquired.

"Ugh…it's a long story but we had a fight and I just wanted to go home. I was getting out of the taxi in front of my apartment when they grabbed me." I gave them the rest of the details of the story and how I ended up in New Jersey at the Cullen's.

"Izzy, this thing is getting scarier and scarier. What are you going to do?" Rose wanted to know.

"I don't know. I feel so trapped. I feel like I can't live my life anymore at all. I can't go shopping with you guys. I can't go to work. I can't go grab a slice of pizza or run to Starbucks. And there doesn't seem to be any end in sight. I just…" The tears finally broke free and I sobbed earnestly.

"Don't cry, honey. Things aren't perfect right now but we can help." Alice said.

"She's right. If you want pizza or a Frappuccino, we can get it for you." Rose promised soothingly.

"And anything you can buy in the store, we can get online. Actually there is a better selection online." Alice assured me.

"And I know you don't miss taking the filthy subway to work every day. So consider that a blessing in disguise." Rose added.

I laughed through my tears. "You guys are the best friends in the world."

"We love you. Call us if you need us." Alice said before we ended the call. I was wiping my tears away when I felt Edward sit down next to me.

"You okay?" he asked. I nodded and buried my face into his chest. He held me close and we sat like that until Esme let us know that the pancakes were ready. We sat down for breakfast, chatting about ordinary things like music and politics. Esme told us that Dr. Cullen was appearing on the Dr. Oz show the following week. I offered to help with the dishes after we'd eaten and everyone laughed at me.

"Sweetie, you have one arm in a sling and the other hand is covered in scratches. You were obviously raised to be a polite, helpful young woman but I'll handle the dishes alone." Esme said kindly. I chuckled along with them, not feeling like the butt of the joke but instead feeling like I belonged.

"Can we talk?" Edward asked as I started toward the stairs, intent on taking a shower. I nodded.

"Let's go outside." He suggested.

"It's kind of cool…"

"How about I light the fire pit and grab some blankets?" Edward offered.

"Okay. I'll get the blankets. Where are they?" I asked. He gave me instructions and five minutes later we were in the backyard sitting side by side in slatted wooden patio chairs, warming in the glow of the fire. I wrapped myself in a fuzzy blue afghan.

"Izzy…I just want you to know how sorry I am about the things that I said yesterday. When I think of what I accused you of and the way I said it…" Edward sighed heavily.

"Edward, do you think that you thought I was meeting Emmett because of how our relationship started? Because I was cheating on Emmett with you?"

"No, definitely not. I'm just…when Emmett comes up I feel like a kid again. He was always bigger and stronger and faster. It's my own insecurity; it has nothing to do with you." He admitted.

"Edward, can I tell you something?"

"Anything…"

"I love you. I love you more than I ever thought I could love anyone. You are an amazing person- you're smart, loving, funny…"

"Izzy…"

"No, let me finish. I don't talk about how I feel enough. You're smart, loving, funny… you care deeply for the people around you. You give a hundred percent to anything that you commit to. You make me feel _alive_. Even in the short time we've been together, when I think back on my relationship with Emmett, it feels like a dysfunctional high school romance. I realized that when I saw him at the restaurant. It was laughable that he was even trying to get me back because for me there is no going back. I know what it feels like to be loved, to be cherished, to have real intimacy."

"Come here, princess." He said, motioning toward his lap. I happily joined him in his chair.

"Izzy, I love you, too. I _need_ you. When I realized that they had you and it was my fault because I drove you away, I fell apart. The only thing that kept me going was the hope that I would have the chance to see you again and I was willing to do whatever it took. Thank God for Demetri." He breathed.

"I'll never do that again. It was stupid for me to run off when I knew that they wanted to kidnap me."

"Neither of us was thinking. Baby… did they hurt you or touch you?" Edward asked tentatively, looking into my eyes.

"No, they just put me in the car. They didn't touch me."

"Good." He said, breathing a sigh of relief. "I should go to the mall and buy you a new cell…"

"Shhh." I whispered, placing a finger to his lips. I leaned in and kissed him, pouring every bit of my being into the kiss. We sat by the fire, talking and kissing for the remainder of the chilly morning.


	31. Chapter 31

"Edward, I want you so bad that it hurts." I moaned.

"Oh yeah? Where does it hurt, baby?" He asked, a sexy smirk on his gorgeous face.

"Right here." I moved his hand to the fire between my legs.

"I guess I have to kiss it and make it feel better, hmmm?" He crooned as he pulled off my bottoms. He watched me while he tenderly kissed the inside of my thighs.

"Don't tease, Edward. I need you." I breathed, tugging his hair and pulling his face to where I needed him. His tongue finally connected with my aching core and I cried out.

"Fuck!" I wailed, my toes curling in pleasure. He swirled his tongue around and around, driving me absolutely mad. Then he flicked my clit. My hips began to grind against his face but he held me in place, and sucked my swollen clit.

"Yes, Edward. Yes, yes, yes! So fucking good…" I moaned.

"Princess?"

"Edward…don't stop…please…" I was so close.

"Princess…Izzy…wake up."

My eyes flew open and Edward was standing over me, several shopping bags in his hands. His eyes were concerned as he looked down at me.

"Izzy, should I get my dad? Are you alright?" He asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine; I was just taking a nap. Why?" I asked, sitting up and leaning against the colonial styled mahogany headboard.

"You were talking in your sleep, calling my name and saying that it hurts. Is it your knee? Your arm?" He inquired, dropping the bags on the floor in front of the window and sitting on the bed next to me.

My face heated as the content of my erotic dream flooded my mind. "I'm okay. I don't know why I was…I don't remember…I just…" I stammered, staring down at the flowery comforter.

"Why are you blushing…what's…" he started and then looked at me knowingly. His voice dropped. "Isabella, you naughty girl." His seductive whisper sent a shiver through my hypersensitive body.

"Don't say my name like that, Edward."

"Well, don't look at me like that, Izzy. Those beautiful brown eyes…those lips…shit!" he groaned, rubbing his face with his hands. We both longed for each other, but we had to refrain while we were in the Cullens' home. Their bedroom was right next to the guest bedroom and I didn't want them to think I was some skank. I mean, it was bad enough that I went from one brother to the other, no need for me to give them a show.

"Did you have fun shopping with your mom?" I asked, changing the subject. I needed some things if I was going to stay at the Cullens' so Edward and Esme went to the local mall to pick them up while I stayed back with Dr. Cullen.

"Hell no. It was like school shopping all over again." He said, standing up and walking over to the bags. "I bought you the shower gel and lotion that you like. Oh and shampoo and conditioner." He handed me the items as he spoke.

"Mom picked out your clothes." He told me handing me two large shopping bags from a department store.

"Edward…" I said, exasperated. I told him that I didn't want a lot of money spent and had suggested Target. My wallet was in my duffel bag, wherever that was, and while Esme and Edward were out I had called and requested all of my debit and credit cards be cancelled and new ones sent to the Cullens. Thank goodness there hadn't been any unauthorized activity.

"I know. I told her what you said and she ignored me." He explained as I pulled the clothes from the bags. The things she bought for me were really adorable, I had to admit. Skinny jeans, cute t-shirts, panties and bras, even socks. Esme had great taste.

"I bought you this." He said, handing me a new cell phone. "And this." He added, giving me a small package. "It has 32 GB of memory."

I laughed. "A flash drive. Thank you!" I exclaimed, jumping up and hugging him. When we had been outside talking that morning, he'd asked me why of all things I had hung on to my computer bag. He knew that it couldn't be that I was that concerned about work documents. I admitted to him that I'd been working on a novel and I didn't want to lose my work since I hadn't backed it up. He'd beamed and asked if he could read it, when I was ready. God, I loved that man.

"No problem, Princess." Edward murmured, wrapping his arms around my waist. Of course, our lips found each other's and very quickly we were breathing hard and stifling gasps of pleasure. I put a hand on his chest and pulled back.

"Did you buy something for yourself?" I asked him, trying to distract myself from how much I wanted him inside of me. He released me with a sigh of reluctance.

"Yeah. Just something to wear to work tomorrow. I'm going to my apartment after work to get my things. Oh, Mike called." He said.

"And?"

"Demitri told him that the fucker got on his chartered plane this morning and flew back to the Middle East. He has a connection at the FAA. He thinks you should stay here, though, until he can figure out if anyone is still following you."

"I hate putting your parents out." I admitted.

"Are you kidding? I told you that my mother loves being a hostess. And my father always says this house is too big for just them."

"What about you? Now you have an extra long commute to work. Maybe you should stay at your apartment and I'll stay here." I suggested.

"Absolutely not. I would miss you too much. And the commute is not that long, thousands of people do it. Stop worrying so much, okay?"

I nodded and turned around to fold up the clothes that Esme had purchased and put them away. I felt Edward's large hands grip my hips from behind.

"Baby…" he whispered into my ear. "In your dream, was I eating your delicious pussy?" Damn it, how did he know? I decided to turn the tables on him. I faced him and looked up innocently.

"Actually…your big cock was in my mouth." I breathed. His eyebrows went up in surprise, but he recovered quickly.

"Did it make you wet, dreaming about sucking me?"

"Does it make you hard, thinking about me sucking you?"

"Fuck yeah." He groaned. "Mom and I stopped at a deli and picked up sandwiches for dinner. We should go down to the kitchen…" he said. He didn't move, though. He buried his face into my neck and began to kiss and suck all the spots that I loved. My hand instinctively threaded into his hair.

"Edward…stop…" I moaned as my head fell back, giving him better access. I heard footsteps in the hallway and I quickly pushed him away. There was a short knock on the door and then it was pushed open.

"Do you like the things I picked out for you?" Esme inquired from the doorway. Edward busied himself with my new cell phone, flipping open the handbook.

"Yes, everything is perfect, but you shouldn't have spent so much."

"It was my pleasure, honey. A lot of those things were on sale. Did Edward tell you that we bought dinner?"

"Yes, I am starving." I told her.

"Well come on, let's eat!" she said, leading the way out of the room. I followed her and glanced back at Edward. He sighed in frustration and followed as well, mumbling under his breath about blue balls.

~SD~

"An eight letter word for early evening…hmm…" Dr. Cullen thought aloud.

"Twilight?" Esme suggested.

"Look at that, perfect fit." Dr. Cullen said as he wrote the letters in the tiny boxes. Esme was sitting in Dr. Cullen's lap on their plush cranberry loveseat as we watched television on Sunday night. They were doing the crossword puzzle from the New York Times together and were so freaking cute.

"Okay, 22 across…1994 movie, Interview with a blank. Seven letters. E is the last letter." Esme said.

"Hmm…" Dr. Cullen hummed as he mulled it over.

"Vampire." Edward said tonelessly from beside me on the couch.

"Thanks, son. That works." Dr. Cullen said, filling in the puzzle.

"The sofa is large enough that you don't have to sit on his lap, Mom." Edward muttered.

"Oh, stop being an old fuddy duddy. What is your problem, Edward?" Esme asked. Dr. Cullen whispered something in her ear and she giggled like a school girl. It fascinated me to see a couple who had been married for so long still so in love. I couldn't remember too many lovey dovey moments between my parents before my mother died. They loved each other, for sure, and were committed to each other and to me, but they hadn't been very physically affectionate. Edward's phone rang and he looked at the screen and sighed.

"Dad, is it okay if I use your office to take this call?" Edward wanted to know.

"Sure." Dr. Cullen replied. Edward went down the hall and Dr. Cullen and Esme went back to their puzzle. I turned my attention to the television; we were watching an hour long drama that Esme enjoyed and I was really getting into it as well. After it ended, we watched the news and of course they showed the clip of a still unidentified me fleeing a car in the middle of the George Washington Bridge and speeding away in what the reporter referred to as a getaway car.

"I can't fucking wait until they find that cocksucker who ordered them to kidnap you and put him away for life. He is the scum of the fucking earth. The weakest type of man is one who attacks and hurts women." Esme grumbled.

"… identified as James 'Jimmy' Witherdale." My head snapped toward the screen and I was looking at the mug shot of one of the men who had kidnapped me. "His body was discovered by a busboy behind a Chinese restaurant in the Meatpacking district of Manhattan this morning with a single gunshot to the temple. Witherdale had been arrested thirteen times beginning at the age of seventeen on charges ranging from grand theft auto to possession of a controlled substance with the intent to sell to aggravated assault. The police have no leads at this time."

"That's one of the men that kidnapped me." I explained when both of them were looking at my open-mouthed face in confusion. Demetri had been right about this, too.

"Thank God for small favors." Esme muttered.

"Izzy?" I turned toward the doorway of the living room and Edward was standing there hissing my name. "Can you go get my iPad for me? It's in my car. The keys are on the dresser upstairs." He whispered. "Yes, I did file the motion, but I'm still waiting for the judge…" Edward's voice faded as he walked back to the office.

I stood up and Dr. Cullen and Esme were looking at me with silly smiles on their faces.

"What?" I asked.

"Nothing." They both said simultaneously and then they laughed. "They're so cute." I heard Esme whisper as I left the room.

I jogged upstairs, grabbed the keys and went to his car. His iPad was sitting on the front passenger seat. I took it into the office and handed it to him. I turned to leave the room, but he pulled me into him and sat me on his knee as he turned it on.

"I'm looking at my notes right now." He was saying. I couldn't help but stare at Edward while he spoke with his client. Was it normal to be this infatuated with your boyfriend? His captivating green eyes drew me in every time. How had I ever been able to resist him?

"What time on Wednesday? No, I can move some things around. The office assistant will confirm with you tomorrow morning. Have a good night." He said and ended the call. He placed his phone and tablet on the desk.

"Thanks for bringing me my iPad, Princess. I have bad news, though."

"What?"

"I'm going to have to spend all day Wednesday in Hartford. Will you be okay?"

"Your parents are great. I'll be fine." I assured him. We gazed at each other in silence for a beat. It was as if our lips were magnetic- one second we were talking and in the next we were locked in a frenzied kiss. When his tongue touched mine, I shivered. He pulled my legs so that I was straddling him in his father's office chair. We began to grind slowly. One of his hands was on my ass, squeezing and pulling me down onto him and his other hand was tangled in my hair, tugging gently as we kissed. The friction against my clit as our hips pressed together rhythmically was exquisite torture. I moaned against his lips.

"Shhh, baby." He breathed. I could feel his hardness straining against the fabric of his jeans and I swiveled my hips harder, adding more pressure. He growled the way he did when he was really turned on. The masculine, erotic sound always drove me wild.

"You have to be quiet, too." I whispered with a giggle.

"You did that on purpose."

"I did…" We were both shamelessly grinding against each other at this point, trying to get off. "Oh God, Edward…"

"Yes, baby…" he murmured. "Shit!" he groaned as he hurriedly pushed me off of his lap and grabbed his iPad, trying to look occupied. A half second later Esme and Dr. Cullen pushed the office door open.

"Hey kids, we're heading up to bed." Esme told us. "Oh, Izzy, there's ice cream in the freezer if you'd like. Cookies and Cream."

"Thanks, Esme. Good night." I said. Edward said good night as well.

"Good night, guys." Dr. Cullen said. They turned back into the hall and purposely left the office door open.

Edward and I looked at each other and couldn't help but crack up.


End file.
